Beneath the Venom
by J0kersGirl
Summary: It's their seventh and final year at Hogwarts. There is a new darkness brewing in the wizarding world. The Triwizard Tournament has been reinstated after two decades of being cancelled. What happens when new rules are created and there are two champions from each school that have to work together as partners? Pairing: Rose x Scorpius.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 1*~**

The seventh and final year at Hogwarts was always the most momentous and stressful of all the school years. There was no exception to this rule for any student. Even those who did not care if they graduated or pursued a career felt the burn of their final year. This was the year of finality. Students were preparing for their N.E.W.T.S. and deciding just who and what they wanted to be outside of the familiar stone walls they had grown up safely within. Beyond the security of the school was the real world with real consequences. It was not wise to proceed unprepared. For Rose Weasley, this year was not too different from any other year.

Rose had always been the studious type. Every year she would excel above and beyond what was ever required of a student her age or even of herself. She took every year very seriously as though it were her final year. Since she had entered the school when she was eleven years old she had a plan. Both of her parents were very encouraging but her mother seemed to understand her ambition more so than her father. He still found it disturbing that someone could enjoy school as much as she and her mother did. Rose found intense joy at pushing her brain to the limits and then some. There was great intellectual satisfaction to be held when she found herself buried in school work for hours on end. This was her final year, but she was not concerned.

It came as no surprise to her at all when she received a letter, before the year had started, that she was made Head Girl. Since her fifth year she had been a prefect so it only seemed natural that she would be considered for Head Girl. Her parents were absolutely ecstatic for her but it appeared that they had been expecting it all along.

For as long as she could remember, she had always done her best to make her parents proud. It was part of what drove her to do so well but there was the added perk that she loved everything about school. She was easily the top in every one of her classes and she was involved in several extra-curricular activities that came with being a prefect and now Head Girl. Upon her father's insistence, she had even tried out for the Quidditch team her second year. She had been accepted and played the Chaser position even still today.

Rose's feelings were bittersweet as she thought about the fact that this was her last year at Hogwarts. This was the last time that she was boarding the Hogwarts Express. Her chest felt tight as she stood before doorway of the prefect car located at the front of the train. As Head Girl, it was her duty to instruct the prefects along with the Head Boy.

Trying her best to rid the feeling of melancholy, she stepped out of view of the other students and composed herself. Her red, bushy hair was actually manageable today. There was very little frizz and it fell just below her shoulders. She was dressed in her proper Ravenclaw uniform. Her white button up shirt was bright and neat with her collar pressed sharply. The striped tie in her house's colors was tied perfectly and symmetrically nestled in the valley of her throat. Over her shirt and tie was her grey sweater that held a blue stripe at the bottom and along the v-shaped collar to indicate her house. Her grey pleated skirt was ironed perfectly and fell just above her knees, showing just a bit of skin before meeting her knee high grey socks. She had even taken the time to polish her black Mary Janes. Of course her uniform would not be complete without her black Hogwarts robe which now was adorned with her Head Girl badge. Everything about her outfit was pristine and neat, which was just how she liked it. Her father said she inherited that trait from her mother.

Taking a deep breath and placing a sweet, bright smile on her face, she strode into the car with overwhelming confidence. This was her last year to make an impression and she would take her job as Head Girl very seriously. It was going to be a bit more taxing seeing as how she was now in charge of all of the prefects from all of the houses instead of only dealing with her house. There were twenty-four prefects in all. Six from each house and two from each year starting from fifth on.

However, what she did not see was the Head Boy. The Hogwarts express was scheduled to leave in approximately five minutes and the boy was nowhere to be seen. She did not know who it was so she could not even begin to hunt him down. Even though it was recommended for the prefects to sit with one another, it was not absolutely mandatory. However, it was mandatory that the Head Boy and Girl at least make an appearance to the other prefects. Frowning, she was about to continue without the boy when she heard the car door open.

Albus Potter strode in the prefect's car, looking a bit haphazard and slightly out of breath. His mussy black hair was sticking out at odd angles, causing him to shake his head so that he could see beyond his bangs. Rose arched a delicate brow at his entrance. She was confused as to why he was there and she wondered if he had been looking for her specifically. Her desire to be neat wanted her to straighten his gold and crimson tie, finish buttoning up his shirt, and straighten his robes which were half falling off of him.

It was when Al finally stood up straight and pulled his robes together that she finally saw it. Gleaming in the light was his Head Boy badge. Rose's eyes widened in surprise before her brows furrowed. Here she had thought they were best friends, let along cousins, and the little prat had decided to keep this information from her. She wasn't sure if she was offended, irritated, or happy. If she had to choose anyone to work closely with for the year it would definitely be Al, but she was bothered by the fact that she had not been told.

"Sorry I'm late. Had a bit of a mishap," Al said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head embarrassedly.

" _At least he has the decency to look abashed,"_ Rose thought as she shook her head. She would scold his appearance and forgetfulness after they were done speaking to the prefects. Clearing her throat, she turned to speak to the students but was cut off before she could utter a word.

"You have got to be kidding me. Whose bright idea was it to make these loons Head Boy and Girl?" a sneer came from the back of the car. Rose growled softly to herself, recognizing who it was without even looking.

Sitting in the back was a seventh year that she knew far too well. It was Scorpius Malfoy, sitting smug with his feet propped up as he expelled an aloof, refined air about him. The git thought that he was god's gift to women and he wasn't afraid to show it. His platinum blonde hair was slicked back, keeping his angled, pale face from being obstructed.

The boy, despite coming from a prestigious family, barely dressed like it. His Slytherin tie hung loosely around his neck and his white uniform shirt was unbuttoned halfway to reveal a small amount of a toned chest. His attire was supposed to tease and entice women. Clearly it was working for several girls could not seem to tear their eyes away from him. There was disdain burning in his grey eyes and it was directed at Rose and Albus.

Albus sighed heavily, even rolling his eyes a bit. He was not even sure when Malfoy had even managed to become a prefect. Their fifth and sixth year he was not one but he clearly was one now. Great, that meant more contact with him than he would have liked to endure. It was bad enough that they went to the same school and were in the same year as one another but now they would have to actually associate with one another.

This was supposed to be Albus' year to relax and take it easy. Malfoy made his life more difficult than it had to be since day one. The blonde prat had it out against the Weaslys and the Potters since his and Rose's parents went to school with Scorpius' father. Groaning, he shot a look to Rose, who looked no happier than he did.

"Shut it Malfoy. Nobody cares what your pretty boy mouth has to say," she growled, her eyes narrowing into a glare. There was no way she was going to let him ruin her last year. Thankfully for her, he had to listen to her because she was Head Girl. Well, that was the theory anyways. Malfoy didn't listen to anyone really.

Before Malfoy had a chance to fire a quip, Rose began speaking to the rest of the prefects. She provided them information for the year as well as what their duties were going to be. Things hardly changed from year to year but it was always good to have a reminder. Not to mention, it was her chance to introduce herself as Head Girl and for Albus to introduce himself as Head Boy.

Once Rose and Albus were finished with their speeches, they broke away immediately, finding the car that her brother, Hugo, and his sister, Lily, were sitting in. Hugo and Lily were just as inseparable as she and Albus were. Which brought her back to her original irritation.

"So this is how you decided to tell me that you were made Head Boy or did you just forget that I was going to find out," she said with a frown, trying to hide just how hurt she really was.

Albus sat down heavily next to his sister as he looked over at Rose, a wide smile plastered on his face. It really was not his intention to hurt her, though he knew there might have been a chance that she received the information wrong. It had meant to be an awesome surprise.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings but don't you remember a few weeks ago that I told you I had a surprise that I wanted to share with you once we got to school?" he inquired. Rose held a blank look for a moment as she attempted to recall what he was talking about. Frowning further, she ran her index finger down the bridge of her nose a few times as she thought.

"I vaguely recall this, but I thought you were going to tell me that you finally got a girlfriend," she said honestly. The exasperated look Albus gave her forced her to laugh out loud a bit.

"You act like I don't have a love life of any sort," he said, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"Well, you kinda don't," Lily quipped up, poking fun at her brother.

Lily Potter was two years younger than her brother which meant that she was entering her fifth year at Hogwarts. Hugo Weasley was doing the same. This was the year they would be preparing for and taking their O.W.L.S. Rose had already offered to tutor them to which Lily eagerly agreed to. Hugo, however, agreed begrudgingly but only because Lily was making him.

"This is not a topic for discussion. I have had plenty of girlfriends. It is not a crime to not have one now," he grumbled. Rose shook he her head, amused at how defensive he had become.

"Okay then, back to the topic at hand. I'm glad that you were made Head Boy, I just wish that you would have told me sooner so that we could have prepared together," Rose interjected as she leaned back a bit, feeling more satisfied than she had before. At least Albus had not withheld his new status to be malicious. He just lacked any great foresight.

"Yes, together we shall rule the school," Albus said with a laugh, thankful that the subject had deterred from his apparently interesting love life. He wasn't single from lack of trying that was for sure. He just wasn't too lucky. Most of his relationships only lasted a few months and his last girlfriend had broken up with him right before the summer started.

"Ah yes, that sounds like a great plan," Rose said with a laugh as she shook her head a bit. " 'cause we're going to have so much extra time between taking our N.E.W.T. courses, preparing for our careers, babysitting prefects and first years, and whatever else we're going to have to be in charge of."

Albus shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as though the idea didn't bother him in the least bit. He was almost as good of a student as Rose was but he just stressed out a lot less. Rose was an absolute perfectionist and he wondered how she did not end up absolutely mad and locked up in St. Mungo's. He was sure there was a ward specifically set up for students who broke from studying for their O.W.L.S. and N.E.W.T.S. There just had to be.

"We'll manage," he said simply as he began rifling through his robes, looking for money for the trolley. He definitely had a craving for sweets.

"That's if Malfoy doesn't try to overthrow you," Hugo, who had been quiet, stated.

"Malfoy can't do anything," Al declared with a frown.

"Malfoy is a royal pain in the arse but I agree with Al, there really isn't anything he can do. He can't get Al's job unless he was put out of commission permanently," Rose said matter-of-factly.

"That's my point. You know how the Malfoys are. You've heard the stories from both of our parents. They are a very dark and sinister family. They have always been in Slytherin for a reason. Not to mention, they were all too happy to be on Voldemort's side in the Wizarding Wars. I don't think Scorpius would be above murdering Al for the sake of his title," Hugo explained seriously.

"Give it a rest Hugo," Lily finally said. "Al's not going to give up his title just because he's worried Scorpius is going to murder him."

"Besides, I could best him in a fight any day," Al muttered with a dismissive wave of his hand.

There was a pause in their conversation as the woman with the trolley made her presence known down the hallway. Each one of them bought something before returning to their seats. Albus was eating a chocolate frog and sighed when he looked at the card.

"Do you know how strange it is to see your father on one of these?" he said as he flashed the card that had "Harry Potter" labeled across it. One moment his father's face was grinning at him and then the next he was gone. Shaking his head, he pocketed the card.

When he was younger it was great that his parents were so famous. He enjoyed the fame but now as an almost adult, it was more bothersome than anything. Half the time anyone wanted to talk to him, be friends with, or date him it was because of his name. Honestly, he could understand what his father went through when he was his age.

"I do but I am going to assume that was rhetorical," Rose said with a laugh as she nibbled on her cauldron cake, being careful not to get crumbs on her uniform.

The rest of the train ride to Hogwarts had been fairly uneventful. The lot of them had stayed in the same car with one another until Rose and Albus had to depart to lead the other prefects. As usual, Scorpius had his own quips and snarky remarks to make but they fell upon deaf ears.

Rose glanced over to where she saw the first years boarding the boats that would take them up to Hogwarts. Each one of them looked nervous but in absolute aw as they saw the massive tower looming in the distance. It made her feel nostalgic for her first day to Hogwarts. Even with all the stories she had heard from her parents she was still amazed by how glorious and magical the school was. It was absolutely wonderful and some of her greatest moments had happened at the school.

Her chest tightened once more as she recalled that this was her last year. It had become a home away from home and she was saddened that she would not be seeing it again after this year. For one year she even considered becoming a teacher but the following year her real passion took over. She had decided that once she graduated she would become a Potions Master and work for the Ministry of Magic. There was a possibility that they would send her to foreign places as needed and she loved the idea of traveling.

When she had told her parents about her decided career, her father had been more surprised than anyone. He had imagined her becoming an auror like himself. Her mother was the least surprised because of the technical skill required to become a Potions Master. Either way she had their support and because both of her parents worked in the Ministry, it would be easy for her to at least get her foot in the door.

This year, she was taking N.E.W.T. level Potions class several times a day so that she could hone her current skill and expand her knowledge of potion-making. There was just something about how technical the skill was that made her fall in love with it. Not to mention the absolute satisfaction that she felt when the potion came out right. It was like an advanced form of cooking but with greater benefits. There was also a certain thrill and allure to the danger that came with it. One wrong move and the potion could become deadly. Yes, it was definitely what she wanted to do. Granted, she didn't want to have to create poisons but she needed to know how in order to make the antidote. Working for the Ministry, she hoped, would allow for her to use her skills more for good than evil.

Rose was pulled from her thoughts when Albus placed his hand on her shoulder. She had a bit of a dazed look as her eyes focused on him.

"Hm? Were you calling me?" she asked. Albus arched a brow questioningly at how out of it she seemed.

"Yeah, you okay?"

"Ah, yeah I'm fine. Just thinking back to our first year," she said with a smile. "we should get going." With a nod, Albus followed her to the carriages that would take the rest of them up to the school.

Before long, everyone had arrived at the school and was filtering into the Great Hall. This would be the last time they were all together in one place. Even Al's brother, James, had gone on to bigger and better things. He graduated the year before and was somewhere in Romania with his uncle Charlie becoming a dragon tamer. It seemed to suit him. Both Rose and Albus would be graduating this year and their younger siblings would be alone for the next two years. At least they had each other.

Rose had no idea what Albus had planned on doing when he graduated. Quite frankly, he had no idea either. It was a good thing that at some point this year he would be sitting down with someone for career counseling. Maybe then he would find a calling.

After they entered the Great Hall, Rose was forced to part with Albus. She was in Ravenclaw with his sister and he was in Gryffindor with her brother. It seemed to work out. Lily's family was surprised to find that she was sorted into Ravenclaw but she was unbelievably intelligent and witty. It was more than likely due to the fact that she grew up around Rose and her aunt Hermione.

Just as Rose was about to sit down, someone pushed passed her forcefully, knocking her down onto the floor where she collapsed embarrassedly. Her skirt had slid up her thighs revealing. She was absolutely mortified. Her face flushed a deep read from her throat all the way up to the tips of her ears, almost matching her hair color. Quickly, she pulled her skirt down and did her best to compose herself as quickly as possible. Looking around for the culprit, she found Scorpius snickering with a bunch of his friends at the next table over. She wanted to cry, scream, and hex the git all at once but she would not give him the satisfaction.

Lifting her head high, she straightened out her uniform as though she was not fazed. Albus rushed over to her, wanting to make sure she was okay. His table was located next to hers so the two of them would often sit on the outside bench of their tables, divided only by a walk way. Had he not been catching up with a few friends, he would have been there to knock Malfoy out.

"The bloody arse! I'll destroy him," he growled as his eyes met Scorpius' with a deadly glare. He was more than pissed. It was one thing to mess with him but an entirely other thing to mess with his cousin and best friend. He was reaching into his robe for his wand when Rose stopped him.

"It's not worth it. He's not worth it. You're Head Boy and you have to lead by example," she said quickly as she grabbed his wrist firmly. The last thing she wanted was for Al to get into trouble and have to serve out detention for most of the year. She was like her mother in the sense that she liked to adhere to the rules as much as possible.

Albus continued glaring at Scorpius for another second before tearing his gaze away and looking Rose over to make sure she was okay. It didn't seem like too many people had seen what had happened. Those who were mocking Rose were part of the Slytherin house but everyone else who was not a part of the green and silver were just as angry as Albus. Rose was rather popular amongst all the houses except for Slytherin but they were only friendly with their own as it was.

Everyone was ushered to their seat as the headmaster stood up in front of all the students. He explained the Sorting Ceremony and what it represented to the first years. After he finished, one by one, students were called and sorted into their appropriate houses. With each sorting came a round of applause from that table. Before long, all of the first years were sorted and looking excited and maybe even a bit nervous.

Rose greeted the new first years at her table with a very warm smile and a congratulations. She even spread some of the joy with nearby Gryffindors seeing as they were the table right behind her. It seemed like everything was going well despite her mishap with Malfoy. That boy was going to pay one of these days for his treatment of people.

Once the headmaster stood before the students. The Start of Term Feast had not started yet and would not until he was finished with his announcements. The current headmaster had been in charge of the school for the last six years or so. He was one of the younger headmasters that the school had been endowed with. Appearing to be in his late forties or early fifties, he wore his hair combed back, the length brushing his shoulders. His hair was streaked with thick rows of silver and black, making it seem like there was a skunk resting on his head. The lines and features of his face were very sharp and narrow, creating an elf like appearance. His grey eyes sparkled mischievously which made him appear much younger than he was. Instead of traditional robes, he wore a pinstripe suit in dark grey and black. The man truly was an enigma. It was a wonder as to how he had become the headmaster of a wizarding school when he acted more like a muggle than anything.

Clearing his throat, the headmaster began speaking. His voice carried all the way to the back of the Great Hall, making it impossible for him to not be heard. Everyone turned their attention to him. The sooner he finished his announcements the sooner they would be able to eat.

"Welcome, new and returning students to another year at Hogwarts. I trust that your journey here was satisfactory," he said with a wry smile. "I have a lot of exciting news, especially for some of the seventh years." He paused briefly as excited whispers spread across the tables from the seventh years. It was safe to say that the headmaster had their interests peaked.

"For those of you who are unaware, I would like to introduce you to your Head Boy and Head Girl this year. If you are ever in need of something and cannot or do not wish to approach a professor, they are your go to people. Albus Potter in Gryffindor and Rose Weasley in Ravenclaw," he announced. Both Rose and Ablus stood in turn as they were announced so that a face could be placed with the name. Several snickers arose from the Slytherin table, elicited by something that Scorpius had said.

The headmaster shot the serpent table a glare, silencing them immediately. Despite the headmaster's good nature, there was an air about him that indicated that he was not to be trifled with. With a nod of his head, Rose and Albus sat down so that he could continue his speech. He spoke of normal announcements such as what teachers taught what subject, who had retired and who had joined the school, and items of that nature. It appeared to be the same as it was every year.

"And now I come to my final announcement, one that is a great honor. This year, at this school, we shall be hosting a very special event. Some of you may have heard of it before from your parents. Some of you may know of it better than others," he gave a pointed stare at Albus and Lily. "This is the first year that the Triwizard Tournament is being reinstated. The last time it was held was almost two decades ago. Due to the tragic events of the last time it was held, there has been controversy as to whether or not it was going to be held again. The rules, however, are much different this time."

The headmaster wasn't able to finish his speech for the moment as the hall came to life with excited talk. Most of the older students knew about the tournament and were beyond excited about it. Some of the older students were filling in the lower years who were confused.

Rose was just as surprised at this news as everyone else. Her parents were involved in the tournament the last time it was held and her uncle, Albus' father, was one of the champions. Her parent's didn't speak about it much but she knew that each one played a significant role. She was more than intrigued about the tournament being reinstated and honestly, she liked the idea of possibly entering in. There was a certain side of her that was almost as bad as an adrenaline junkie. She liked the thrill.

Albus grew very quiet for a moment. His father very rarely talked about the tournament. There were very traumatic events that he didn't like talking about. In fact, Albus only ever heard the complete story maybe twice just because his father and mother wanted him to understand his father's life and the things he endured. How much could they have really changed the tournament to make it safer? Even before the terrible events two decades ago the tournament was known to kill people. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.

The headmaster cleared his throat once more and silenced the room so that he could continue his explanation of the events. Once all eyes were on him, he waved his hand and revealed the Goblet of Fire.

"Hogwarts will once more be the school hosting the event. The competing schools of Beauxbaton and Durmstrang shall be joining us in one month's time with their headmasters and potential champions. You will show them respect while they are here. Anything less than this will result in instant expulsion," he said in great seriousness. The Great Hall became very still and deafeningly quiet as each student let it sink in just how serious the Head Master was. After a few seconds had passed, the headmaster spoke once more.

"The rules have been altered a bit. As before, only students who meet the legal wizarding age of seventeen will be allowed to enter their name into the Goblet of Fire in hopes of being chosen as a champion. If you are chosen, there is no going back. It is a legal and binding contract so think carefully before entering your name. In an effort to reduce death and utter chaos, there shall be two champions chosen from each school who must work together in the tournament." Once more the headmaster was interrupted as more excitement rumbled through the Great Hall.

The students were absolutely thrilled that their chances of becoming a champion increased. While the lower years were booing and disappointed with the fact that they could not compete, the seventh years' excitement drowned them out. Rose looked to Albus, wondering what he was thinking. She was surprised to find that he looked pale and almost sickly instead of excited. When they were alone, she would have to ask him if everything was alright.

"Silence!" the headmaster bellowed, becoming quiet agitated with continuously being interrupted. "if you wish to eat, you will be quiet." Once more the hall fell silent.

"As I was saying. There will be two champions and they must work with one another. There shall be three events but they are not to be taken lightly. For those who are chosen as champions, there will be extensions on classwork in efforts to help with preparation for each of the events. Starting tomorrow morning, you may write your name on a piece of parchment and place it in the goblet if you wish to be considered for a champion. When the competing schools arrive next month, the champions shall be decided. Now, enjoy the feast," he said with a slight smile as he waved his hand and each table was filled with a glorious amount of food. Once more the hall was alive with excitement.

Rose began filling her plate with food. Lily was sitting next to her and Hugo and Albus were sitting at the table behind her. Lily seemed to be excited at the idea of the tournament, despite her not being able to enter in. Hugo shared her sentiments but it was Albus that she was most worried about. After she finished her dinner, she turned around to face Albus. Frowning, she noticed that he had hardly touched his food.

"Hey, Al, are you okay?" she asked, having to poke him in the shoulder to get his attention. It was his turn to be pulled out of a daze. Looking down at his untouched plate, he sighed before looking at Rose.

"I will be. I just… can't shake this feeling that something bad is going to happen. Terrible things happened the last time this event was held. I can't help but wonder if maybe, because we're related to my father, that there's a curse upon this tournament and if we enter, we're going to befall a horrible fate," he explained, his voice low and his eyes a bit glassy, almost like he was in trance. Noticing Rose's worried face, he promptly pulled himself out of it. "I guess I'm just tired."

"Yeah, maybe," Rose said unconvincingly.

Before long, dinner was finished and the prefects were leading the students to their common rooms. It had been a very long day but her and Albus had to check in with the headmaster before they were able to turn in. The meeting with the headmaster was very brief. However, just as they were about to leave, the headmaster had a separate errand for Rose to run.

"Miss Weasley, the potions professor wishes to speak with you privately and immediately regarding your classes for the year. Apparently it could not wait until tomorrow," he said with a shake of his head. The potions master was a bit eccentric but brilliant. It was why he humored the man. "Mr. Potter, you are free to leave."

Rose and Albus left the headmaster's office. Albus had wanted to escort Rose but she had insisted that she was fine. Honestly, she liked wandering the school when the halls were empty. There was a certain quietness that was almost serene. While some may have found it creepy to be in the ancient halls, she found it fascinating and even a bit comforting as she imagined all the history that the stones bore witness to.

Albus begrudgingly let Rose leave but he made her promise to let him know that she had returned to her common room safely. One year for Christmas, he had purchased a pair of two-way mirrors for himself and Rose so they could keep in contact. Hers had been fitted into what looked like a makeup compact case. There was a rose inlaid on the back of the mirror. His had been fitted into the inside of the cover of a pocket watch that he kept with him. It was a gift Rose had given him in hopes that he would procrastinate less.

Once she swore to keep him updated, Rose was finally released from Albus. She laughed softly to herself at the fact that he was worried about her now when it was she who had been worried about him. He really was her best friend and she was not sure what she would have done without him over the years.

As soon as she felt the air change around her, she knew that she was in the dungeons. The air was damp and cool, making her feel clammy almost instantly. The sound of water dripping could be heard reverberating off of the stone walls. There was nothing cheerful or comforting about this place. The corridor was dimly lit with torch sconces that were bolted to the walls. The soft glow of the torches created long dark shadows that danced along the reflective walls and floor.

All of a sudden she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. It felt like there was a dark presence somewhere, threatening to oppress her. A shiver coursed down her spine as her heart sped up. The hall was growing darker in the distance, racing towards her as the torches began going out one by one as the darkness approached her. Soon she was left standing alone in the darkness, the scent of extinguished flames permeating the air. A blood curdling scream pierced the air suddenly, causing Rose to quickly cover her ears and fall to her knees as she quickly became disoriented. What was going on?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 2*~**

All Rose could hear was the pounding of her heart in her ears. Her breath was coming out heavy as she did her best to try and gather herself. The screaming had stopped but she was still in the darkness. However, she knew that she was not alone. Her mind raced as she tried to recall all of her studies on magical creatures. What could be causing this and how did it get into Hogwarts? There was no way that a professor or even the headmaster was not aware that such a creature was roaming the halls. Why would it even be allowed within the school's walls?

" _Lumos Maxima!_ " a voice called out.

Suddenly, the whole hall was filled with light, temporarily blinding Rose. She groaned as her eyes began adjusting to the sudden light. Grasping around blindly, she felt the cool stones of the wall and used them to steady herself. She squinted in the direction of the voice of the spell caster.

"Who's there?" she demanded as she sought out her wand. There were too many unknown variables for her to feel comfortable. Slowly but surely her sight returned to her.

"Well, well, well if it isn't Weasley," the voice sneered. Rose groaned as she realized who the voice belonged to. As if her night wasn't terrible already.

"God, why couldn't you have been anyone else on the planet?" she mumbled with a sigh. Rubbing her eyes, she was finally able to see clearly. Standing before her was Scorpius in all of his arrogant glory. In fact, she would not be surprised if he was somehow behind all of this.

"Well, let's see. I'm a prefect and you're wandering around my dungeon where I am set to patrol. Which begs the question as to why you're out past curfew," he asked with a frown. "and why you were laying on the ground in the dark?"

Rose didn't feel the need to answer any of his questions, considering that she was Head Girl and it was none of his business, but she did have to lead by example. Though she was more than sure that Scorpius led only by his own example and maybe his family's.

"I was called down here by the Potions professor. As for why I was in the dark, I have no idea. Someone or something extinguished the torches," she explained with an accusatorial glare. Scorpius returned her glare with one of his own.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. I didn't darken the hall. Though I must commend whoever did. Clearly you were terrified," he said with a smirk. Pink slowly crept onto Rose's cheeks. She wasn't afraid of the dark, but whatever had caused the dark and the screams had definitely unsettled her.

"It's not like that!" she said defensively, not even sure why she was bothering to defend herself against Scorpius. He couldn't care less what she thought or felt. His smirk only widened at her defensiveness.

"Uh huh. Poor little Weasley, afraid of the dark," he taunted. Rose felt her anger rising. The more she thought about it the more it made sense that this was somehow his doing. She bet that he even faked the scream that she had heard. He must have amplified his voice and altered the pitch so that it was deafening. Her blush deepened from embarrassment as she realized that she had been tricked. She had been terrified for nothing. Growling, she shoved Scorpius' chest as her anger peaked.

"You're such an arse, Malfoy!" she screamed as she shoved him again. "how did you know that I was down here? What spell did you use to create that scream?!" It was taking every ounce of will power for her not to cry out of frustration. She would not give him the satisfaction.

Anger passed over Scorpius' face at her physical violence towards him but it was replaced by confusion as she continued to prattle on. When she came at him a third time, he grabbed both of her wrists to stop her onslaught.

"Are you bloody mad? I haven't the faintest idea what you are talking about," he said irritably. He honestly had no idea what she was going on about. Sure he didn't care that she was angry at him but if she was going to be assaulting him he at least wanted to be responsible for it. Rose shot him a look of irritation and disbelief.

"Don't you dare lie to me, Malfoy. I know how you are," she growled as she tried to yank her hands away from him. His grip tightened as he refused to let her go.

"Seriously, Weasley, you're going mad. I have no idea what you are talking about. What screams? It's been as silent as the grave down here," he said in all seriousness. The girl was seriously distraught. While he didn't care that she was looney, he needed to know if there was a potential danger in the dungeon. He was a prefect after all and it was his duty to ensure some sort of safety. If he didn't do his job right then they would take away his privileges and that was not something he could allow. Not to mention his father would be beyond furious.

For just a moment, Rose wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe that he wasn't playing some sick, cruel joke on her. The man was terribly mean to her all the time despite the fact that she never actually warranted it. It was just because there was some sort of blood feud between her parents and his. She wanted to believe that he was not malicious.

"I'm not mad. I really did hear screams and whatever caused it, extinguished the torches," she said a bit more calmly. She had stopped attacking him and his slack loosened on her wrists but did release all together. His grey eyes searched her face for a moment, trying to decide whether or not she was serious and sane.

Rose returned his gaze but what she did not expect was to get lost in his eyes. They were the color of the ocean after a vicious storm. His neatly manicured brows were furrowed as he battled with his decision. However, his eyes did not demonstrate the same frustration. They seemed to believe her and there even seemed to be a bit of concern within them as well.

Just as Scorpius opened his mouth to say something, his spell wore off and the hall was doused in darkness once more. Rose instinctively moved closer to him, practically pressed against him as he still had a light hold on her wrists. She wasn't afraid of the dark but she was afraid that whatever had found her earlier was back. It took her a moment to realize that it was not the creature but the fact that Scorpius' spell wore off.

Jumping back, she was thankful that it was dark so that he could not see the blush that had appeared heavily across her nose and cheeks. Clearing her throat, she muttered her own spell to relight the torches so that they would not be left in darkness once more. Scorpius gave the redhead an odd look at the fact that she had almost been clinging to him. It was…. an odd sensation. One that he was going to make a point to dwell on no further.

"Okay, fine. Say that you aren't mad and there is some sort of creature wandering the halls. Then it is our duty to go and look for it. After all, we're supposed to monitor the halls after curfew and I would say that is in direct violation of several rules," he said with a smirk. Rose was not sure what he was getting at, why he was wanting to help, but he did have a point.

"Yes… this is true…" she said cautiously. She didn't trust Scorpius at all and there was no way that he was helping her out of the goodness of his heart. She was not even sure that he possessed such a thing. "but you follow and listen to me." Rose was very decisive in her declaration. There was no way that she was going to let him walk all over her. She had embarrassed herself as it was so now she needed redemption. Scorpius waved his hand dismissively.

"Whatever, Weasley," he said before beginning to walk down the hall, clearly disregarding what she had just said. Rose growled before following after him. She didn't like the idea of perusing the school at night with Scorpius as her only backup. He was potentially just as dangerous as the creature they were looking for. Not to mention, he would have no problem leaving her to battle it alone in order to save his own skin. He was chivalrous like that.

The two of them took a tour of the dungeons together, hardly speaking to one another at all. It was just the way that Rose preferred. If he was silent, then he wasn't insulting her because honestly, it was just too late at night for her to endure his childishness. Scorpius didn't seem to mind the silence either. Soon they passed the door to the Potions classroom at which Rose gave pause.

"Hold on, the reason I was even down here in the first place was because the professor wanted to see me," she said to which Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"Really? There could possibly be some blood thirsty animal on the prowl and your number one priority is classes? You're absolutely mental," he grumbled begrudgingly. Rose didn't even warrant him a response and instead went straight into the classroom.

Scorpius debated whether or not to follow and ended up deciding to just stay outside of the classroom. Weasley seemed convinced that there was something dangerous prowling the halls and if that was the case, he didn't want to be surprised. Honestly, he was not even sure why he was going along with this in the first place. He couldn't stand the woman and he certainly was not going to stick his neck out for her either. The only reason he could come up with was that he didn't want to lose his prefect status and seeing as how Weasley was, unfortunately, Head Girl there was the potential that she could make him lose it.

No, it had nothing to do with the fact that it sort of bothered him that she was so clearly terrified. Weasley was a very strong willed woman, if something was making her feel vulnerable, then perhaps there was a reason for concern. The creature supposedly attacked her down in the dungeons which was where his common room was. Again, there was the potential for danger towards himself and that was just unacceptable. Oh, and there was the fact that he would somehow be blamed because he was on patrol.

Before he had the chance to change his mind, Rose had walked out of the classroom and approached him. He arched a brow, wondering just what it was that was so important that it could not wait until the morning. She didn't offer him any explanation.

"Shall we continue?" she stated more than asked as she began walking down the corridor. Scorpius grumbled to himself quietly as he followed along. Why was he doing this? He could easily inspect the dungeons by himself and at a much faster rate too.

The two of them finished up their tour of the dungeons. There was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. Every torch was lit, there was no creature lurking about, and it was absolutely silent. There wasn't even a shadow that seemed abnormal. The only strange thing was that they had not run into any ghost whatsoever. They liked to come out especially at night when students wouldn't pester them.

"See, there is nothing trying to kill you," Scorpius grumbled, breaking the silence with his irritation. "are you sure it wasn't Peeves playing some kind of prank?" Rose glared hard at him.

"I'm not stupid. I know when it's a ghost playing a prank. This was nothing like that. I could feel it," she snapped, tired of him trying to make her out to be insane.

"I beg to differ on your intelligence level," he said with a shrug. "and you're a woman. You 'feel' everything. Doesn't mean that you're right. You have no proof of anything and as far as I am concerned, this was a huge waste of time." Rose gaped at his audacity.

"You're the one who wanted to come with me! I didn't ask you to come along!" she yelled.

"I had to make sure you weren't trying to sabotage me somehow," Scorpius retorted nonchalantly with a shrug of his shoulders. He made it seem as though that was the most natural explanation.

"Unlike you, Malfoy, I don't play mind games. If I wanted to sabotage you, I would just do it," she growled as she shoved passed him. All she wanted to do was turn in for the night. The day had become much longer than necessary and she was sure that Albus was worried about her by now.

Rose sighed so deeply it was practically a growl. That's what she should have done. She should have snagged Albus and had him help her inspect the dungeons. He was the Head Boy and her best friend, it would have made the most sense. Why did she even allow Malfoy to come with her? Oh yeah, she wanted to look for the creature before it had escaped. A lot of good that did her. She had to endure the blonde haired prat's company and insults and all for nothing.

The creature was long gone and she had no idea what it was. She could ask a professor about it but she wasn't even sure what she would be asking about. There was nothing she had actually seen and if Malfoy's reaction was any indication, everyone else would think she was crazy too. Shaking her head, she made her way towards her common room.

Scorpius watched as Rose stormed away from him. Before he could catch himself, he was observing her leaving figure. What a figure it was too. She wasn't the stereotypical kind of hot that he found in a woman but she definitely had curves in all of the right places. It was almost a shame that she decided to keep them hidden. Her uniform was immaculate but loose. In all of the commotion, she had not straightened herself up like she normally did and he could see more of her form than she usually allowed. He was distracted by her swaying hips that moved naturally as she walked.

When he realized what he was thinking about and who, his face distorted into a scowl and he shuddered. There was something seriously wrong with him if he was starting to find Weasley attractive. Maybe she had sabotaged him after all. Making a noise like he had tasted something disgusting, he chastised himself as he headed back to his own common room. He needed to find his most recent fling and rendezvous so that he could feel normal again.

Rose was screaming obscenities in her mind as she climbed the thousands of steps in the tower where her common room was. Okay so maybe it was hundreds of steps instead of thousands but she was beyond exhausted. Whoever thought it was a good idea to have a common room in a tower was a cruel individual. What felt like an eternity later, she finally reached the common room door. Reaching out, she banged the bronze eagle knocker against the door. A voice rang out in response.

" _What is that which always is coming but never arrives?_ " Rose gave pause as she thought over the riddle for a moment. Thankfully, even being as tired as she was now, it was still a simple answer.

"Tomorrow," she responded, breathing a sigh of relief as the door swung open. Quietly she stepped inside, smiling at the familiar circular room.

There was a gentle fire blazing in the fireplace across the room which was giving off a warm, soothing glow. Alternating the walls were floor to ceiling windows with equally tall book cases in between. The white marble walls contrasted perfectly with the royal blue carpet and furniture. The ceiling was a starry night sky which remained the same even during the day. Besides the crackling of the fire, a soft whistle could be heard from the wind blowing against the windows. It was absolutely soothing and it only made Rose even more ready for bed.

Passing the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw, she entered her dorm room as quietly as possible. She did not wish to wake anyone up for it was the dead of the night. Glancing at an hourglass that was sitting nearby, she could tell that she only had a few hours until morning. While she didn't have a class first thing in the morning, she liked to use the time for studying or homework.

Rose dressed down for bed before sliding in under her covers. She pulled out her compact mirror so that she could let Albus know that she was alright. Sure enough, he had been awake waiting for her. He wanted to know everything that had happened but honestly, she was far too tired to revisit the night. With a promise to fill him in during breakfast, he finally let her go so that they could both sleep. Snuggling against her pillow, she recalled deep grey eyes that held animosity and concern right before she fell asleep.

The following morning, Rose was back to her normal self. Her uniform was neat and she was full of energy and vigor. It was almost as if the night had not happened. While it did still nag at the back of her mind that there was still something on the loose, she could not let that deter her from her classes. She needed to concentrate now more than ever because this was her final year. While she was at the top of her classes last year and had been every year since the beginning, she needed to make sure she finished this year the same.

Rose met up with her friends and brother at breakfast. Now that they were not having to deal with the formalities of the welcoming feast, they were able to all sit with one another. Albus was already halfway through his breakfast so she sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"You're up rather early," she mentioned, wondering why he was awake. Normally, he would do everything in his power to be able to sleep in late. He usually had classes in the afternoon.

"Mh…I have Transfiguration this morning. First time in a while so I figured I would get here, eat, and then go. Though, you need to fill me in with what happened last night, especially with Malfoy," he explained between mouthfuls of food. The mentioning of Scorpius had also piqued the interest of Lily and Hugo.

"You were with Malfoy last night?" Hugo asked, his eyes wide with surprise. "please tell me it does not sound as weird as it does." Rose rolled her eyes at her younger brother.

"It was not by choice I assure you," she replied before explaining quietly what had happened the night before. Everyone seemed to share her bafflement at what had occurred.

"I've never heard of such a thing. Are you sure someone wasn't playing a prank? You were near the Slytherins' common room," Lily inquired. A sigh escaped Rose.

"Yes, I am sure. It was much… darker and creepier than those gits are capable of. It… was almost like what a dementor is said to do. You remember what our parents have said but there was something more to it," she explained.

"Maybe it's a wraith of some sorts," Albus mused as he finished his breakfast. "though how one of those is just floating around the castle is beyond me. I thought the headmaster was supposed to make sure that creatures like that don't get in."

"Your guess is as good as mine. We searched the dungeons and could find no trace of it so maybe if I'm lucky, it's gone for good," she said hopefully though she knew otherwise. Things were never that simple, ever.

"Well, I wouldn't worry about it too much. If it likes the dungeons, then just stay away from the dungeons. If we're fortunate enough, it'll eat Malfoy or something," Albus said with a snicker, earning a disapproving look from Lily. She was the nicer, less violent one in their group.

"He's bad, but not that bad. No one deserves to be eaten," Lily said with a frown as she began piling food on her plate. "you're terrible." Albus took her insult in stride before standing up.

"I will see you guys later. I gotta run to class," he said as he hoisted his bag over his shoulder. Saluting the group, he spun on his heel and was gone from sight.

Rose filled her plate with food and chewed thoughtfully. It was hard to forget what had happened, how it made her feel but she knew that she had to, at least for now. Bringing her glass of juice to her lips, she found herself choking and sputtering as the liquid was forced into her face, dribbling down her chin and all over the front of her uniform. She didn't have to look far to see who had shoved her.

"Way to go, Weasley. Can't even manage to drink properly. Gonna blame it on the ghost? Oh wait, there isn't one is there? Maybe it's the voices in your head," Scorpius sneered before laughing boisterously. He had three of his goonies with him plus a groupie. Rose never saw Malfoy alone, except for the previous night.

"You jerk!" she screamed as she stood up angrily, her wand at the ready. The front of her uniform was quickly staining on top of her being wet and sticky. Luckily, she was adept at almost any spell and was able to clean herself up immediately. Malfoy's behavior was unacceptable and after the night she had, it was enough to ignite her anger. Sometime's her father's irritable, irrational side slipped out of her.

"Oh-ho-ho? What do we have here? Someone's feeling feisty," he jeered, earning laughs from his friends. "what are you going to do? It's against the rules to hex another student and we know how you are about rules." The smirk on his face was tempting Rose to do something drastic. It took everything in her to not hex him into oblivion. Tears of frustration were hinting the corners of her eyes.

"Ooh, I think you're making her cry," one of the goons quipped up, causing another round of later. This was the last straw for Hugo. Despite Rose being his older sister, she was still his sister none the less and he would not tolerate anyone belittling her as they were. While he was not as good as she was at spell casting, he could not stand by any longer.

" _Stupefy!_ " he yelled as he flicked his wand at Scorpius. The smirk was wiped right off of his face as he was hit full on with the stunning spell. Hugo gave him no time to recover as he went after Malfoy physically, throwing punches. He managed to land a few before Scorpius retaliated. His goons grabbed Hugo but before he could throw a spell at him, Rose intervened. As soon as Rose stepped in, it turned into a four way duel.

Hugo and Rose were throwing spells at Scorpius and one of his friends. His other friends and temporary girlfriend had stepped back on Scorpius' command. Hugo had managed to knock out the guy he was dueling and went after Scorpius. Instead of throwing a spell at Hugo, Scorpius lunged at him and returned the favor of marring up his face with his fists. Rose cried out angrily before flinging a very powerful stunning spell at Scorpius, sending him flying into his friends. Scorpius recovered quickly and was about to initiate another round when the whole lot of them found themselves immobilized. A professor came marching across the hall and in between all of them.

Rose recognized her as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. She wore ebony robes with crimson roses emblazoned on them. Her strawberry blonde hair flowed around her waist as she rushed over. She was one of the younger professors, in her late twenties early thirties. It was normal for her to play judge, jury, and executioner in circumstances such as this.

"Enough!" she bellowed, her face contorted in anger. "those of you not involved, leave now and go to your classes!" Everyone who could, scattered immediately. As soon as the hall was empty, the professor released the students.

Scorpius and Hugo were both breathing hard with bruises forming on their faces. Hugo had even managed to split Scorpius' lip as it was bleeding a bit. Now that he was able to move, he wiped the blood away with his sleeve. Rose had not sustained any injuries but her bushy hair was an absolute disaster and her uniform had come untucked and disheveled. Scorpius' friend was still unconscious a few feet away from them. No one said anything as they gave the professor the attention she was demanding.

"What is the meaning of this? Who started it?" she demanded, looking at each student individually. For a moment, no one said anything. Rose was about to speak up when her brother cut her off.

"It was Malfoy," he said with a glare. Scorpius returned the glare.

"How flattering. Too bad there was a room full of witnesses that saw you lunge at me," he said coolly. There was no way to prove that he had done anything. Hugo was about to attack Malfoy once more and yet again the professor stepped in.

"This end now," she said firmly. "all of you will be serving detention for the next two weeks. Miss Weasley, I am extremely disappointed in you. As Head Girl, you are supposed to be a role model and good example. While I expect this of your brother, I am extremely surprised at how irrational you have behaved. The four of you will report to detention immediately following your last class of the day." With a wave of her wand, she woke up Scorpius' friend and escorted him and Malfoy out of the hall.

"Great, detention. What a way to start the year. I should have knocked Malfoy out," Hugo grumbled but Rose wasn't listening. The professor's words were reverberating in her head. She was a disappointment to the professor and to herself. Her words stabbed her deeply. As a perfectionist, those were the worst words she could have heard. She continued to berate herself severely until she realized what Hugo said.

"D-Detention? Oh my god, I have detention!" she cried out, her face paling. Never in her history of schooling had she ever received detention. She had never received any sort of disciplinary action. Her grades were never anything less than perfect. She was not sure how to handle this at all. She was more than upset and she wanted to cry.

Hugo winced internally as he saw his sister freaking out. He was not surprised in the least bit. This was the worst sort of news she could have received besides failing a class somehow. Sheepishly, he rubbed the back of his head. Part of this was his fault but he could not allow for Malfoy to keep insulting his sister the way that he was. His father had raised him to protect his sister, despite being younger and especially from Malfoy. Malfoy's family hated his own and he would protect his sister no matter what. He just wished that it was just him who would suffer the repercussions and not her.

"Look, Sis, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to get caught up in this too," he apologized. Rose took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. Only Albus, Hugo, and Lily ever saw her like this. She would die before she allowed Malfoy to see how badly she had been affected. Quietly, she muttered a spell to straighten her appearance out. She needed to get back to normal.

"No, you don't have to apologize. I'm just as much to blame. I don't know what came over me," she said honestly. She knew that she had a bit of a temper, something she inherited from her father, but she prided herself on being rational and logical. That was what she inherited from her mother. However, when someone she cared about was in trouble, she seemed to lose a bit of that rationality.

"I don't even know where detention is even held," she said quietly as she looked at her brother. He in turn grinned, trying to make light of the situation.

"Ah, you leave that up to me," he said with a bit of laugh. "I'm kinda a pro at this. I would be a terrible prefect which is probably why I am not one." He shrugged at this before wincing.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked, wondering why her brother was acting strange now. Hugo frowned before responding.

"Um, it tends to be in the potions room… down in the dungeons… your least favorite place," he admitted, eliciting a sigh of frustration from his sister.

"Oh yes, this year is turning out to be so wonderful," she mumbled sarcastically as she searched for her school bag. She didn't have class for a little while still so she wanted to head to the library to clear her head. If she was lucky, Malfoy would be nowhere in sight and she would not have to deal with him until much, much later. Giving her brother a brief hug, she bid him farewell before leaving the hall.

" _I can't believe I have detention. Malfoy, I will make you suffer for this,_ " Rose thought before slowly devising a plan to ensure that promise.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 3*~**

The day seemed to move far too fast for Rose's liking. Ever since she had received her dreaded sentence of having detention, it felt like someone had sped up the day. Through every class, she was feeling anxious. While she knew that detention wasn't really that detrimental, it felt like her whole world was being tainted. She prided herself on being perfect and this was far from it. Not to mention she was going to have to serve detention in the dungeons and with Malfoy. It was probably the worst thing she was going to have to do all year. She might even prefer to encounter that creature that disappeared instead of dealing with detention.

A sigh escaped her as she finished her final class of the day. She had some time before dinner and then it was detention until who knew when. It was to be held in an empty classroom in the dungeons but she had no idea who was going to be proctoring it. If she was lucky, it would be a professor that liked her and made it short with very little agony attached to it.

Hugo was unfazed at having detention but that was because her brother was sort of a trouble maker when Lily wasn't around to wrangle him in. Those two were just as close as her and Albus were. They all practically grew up with one another and might as well be siblings instead of cousins. Hugo was very protective over Lily, viewing her as a younger sister even though they were the same age. It was because she was so gentle and good natured. In fact, it was very rare to ever see Lily angry. She seemed to reserve that anger for her brothers whenever they annoyed her.

Rose needed to do something to relieve her anxiety before detention. Her plans to get through detention would be to work on the homework she had already been assigned. Now it was just getting through the time until detention that she had to manage. Walking down the hall briskly, she decided that she would go flying around the Quidditch field a few times. That always seemed to calm her down. Practice didn't start for a few more days so the field would, in theory, be vacant.

As she was heading for her common room to retrieve her broom, she heard a loud commotion nearby. Frowning, she went to investigate. Passing through several archways, she entered the room where the Goblet of Fire was being held. It was no surprise to find out that the commotion was due to a large group of students surrounding it, cheering on their friends to enter their name. She had completely forgotten about the Triwizard Tournament.

The Goblet of Fire sat dead center in the room, burning brilliantly in all of its glory. There was an age circle that had been cast outside of it to ensure that no one under the age of seventeen could even approach the goblet, let alone enter their name. Rose hadn't even given the tournament a second thought from the moment it had been announced. Far too much had happened already.

In the past, the goblet had not been open to accepting names until the competing schools had joined the hosting school, but this year it was different. The longer the goblet was available, the more time students had to contemplate what they could possibly be signing up for. This would deter students from just jumping at the opportunity impulsively. Granted, there was still going to be students who acted irrationally and impulsively but it would cut down on the numbers. Once the goblet seemed less shiny and new, some of the appeal would wear off.

Rose wasn't sure, honestly, if she was even going to put her name in. While it all sounded thrilling and dangerous, she didn't feel as though she would have the time if she had been picked. Her schedule was packed this year in preparation for her desired career. If she had to balance school and the tournament, something was going to suffer somewhere. Though, she could not deny the intense allure that she felt.

Tuning herself back into her surroundings, she frowned when she noticed Albus stepping away from the goblet, a grin on his face. The grin quickly turned sheepish as he noticed that Rose had spotted him. Making his way over to her, he laughed a bit uneasily.

"I figured I'd try my luck," he said before she could say anything. Rose continued frowning for a moment before speaking.

"I had no idea that you felt this reckless," she teased a bit, though she was worried. Yes, this year there would be two champions from each school to help one another, but it would still be dangerous. What if Albus was picked and his partner was absolutely useless?

"Ah well, you only live once," he said brightly, making light of the situation. Rose heaved a great sigh.

"You do realize that I have no choice now and I will have to enter my name as well. I have to increase your odds of receiving an acceptable partner if you are chosen," she declared. She couldn't allow Albus to risk his life without her having tried everything in her power to ensure his safety. It looked like her choice was made for her.

"Aw, you don't have to do that," he said semi-seriously. The last thing he wanted was for her to endanger herself but he knew better than to try and talk her out of it. She was as stubborn as an ox. If she was going to enter her name for his sake, then he hoped that if she was picked, he would be her partner. Their desire to protect one another was a vicious cycle.

"So, I heard you got detention," he stated, changing the subject. Rose deflated right before his very eyes, becoming instantly distraught. "hey, it's not that bad really," he said quickly, not wanting to see her so upset. He'd been in detention more than once himself throughout the years. It was mostly James' fault when he was going to school with him.

"I know, I know. It's what everyone keeps saying but it's terrible to me. You know how I am. It feels like a failure of sorts," she said gently as the two of them began walking. The crowd was growing larger and it was becoming harder to hear one another. Not to mention, Rose wanted to get some flying in before dinner.

"Hey, it's not a failure. You have no one but Malfoy to blame. He's the prick who started everything," he assured her, placing an arm across her shoulders. "that guy has it out for us and I swear, especially you."

Albus frowned as he said such. Now that he thought about it, Malfoy always did seem to pay the most attention to her. While he could be physically assaulting to himself and Hugo, Malfoy was always verbally assaulting to Rose. Thankfully he never paid any attention to Lily. She was treated like the baby in the family and everyone would kill anyone who mistreated her even slightly.

"That may be so but there were more mature ways to handle that situation. I just get kinda crazy when my family is involved," she said with a hint of a smile as Albus squeezed her shoulders in a side hug.

"And that's the great thing about family. Now, don't worry about it too much. Hugo will be there with you and he will make it pass by pretty quickly. If Malfoy causes more problems, I'm sure he won't mind taking care of it," he said with a wide smile, earning a disapproving look from Rose. However, he could see that she was desperately trying to hide a smile.

"Alright, alright. I will do my best. Did you want to join me? I was gonna go flying for a bit before dinner," she asked as she continued heading towards her dorms. The entrance to her dorm was on the fifth floor while his was on the seventh. They paused on the fifth floor landing.

"As tempting as that is, I have a few Head Boy things to take care of before dinner," he said with a roll of his eyes. "had I known it was going to be this much work I would have deny the title." Rose shook her head, laughing slightly. She knew that he loved it regardless.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Quit complaining. I'll see you at dinner," she said as she hugged him briefly before making her way to the Ravenclaw common room. She banged the bronze eagle knocker.

" _What can travel around the world while staying in a corner?_ "

"A stamp," Rose replied without hesitation. The door swung open, revealing that she had given the correct answer. Smiling to herself, she quickly went inside and went to her dorm room. She quickly changed into something more comfortable which ended up being a grey t-shirt and black sweat pants. Uniforms were not necessary after classes were finished which was a good thing because she could not imagine flying in a skirt. She tied her wild mane of hair into a bushy pony tail before she retrieved her broom. Courtesy of her parents for her continued good grades, she had the most recent model.

Satisfied that she had everything that she needed, she headed out to the Quidditch pitch. The air was warm and there was a slight breeze causing the flags on the stands to ripple. Every time she walked out onto the field she was in awe. From where she was standing, there wasn't much to see but that was because this was a game played in the air. Standing on the ground, she felt like she was looking up at sky scrapers. Everything about this game was magnificent and grand. It would be a while before she had to participate in practices but that didn't mean that she couldn't fly and act on her own until then.

Straddling the broom, she kicked off the ground and soared upward. The rush of wind around her had her adrenaline pumping already. Flying would never lose the excitement and pure joy that it provided her no matter how many times she did it. It was one of her favorite things about the wizarding world. While both of her parents were part of this world, her mother made sure that her and Hugo were aware of the muggle world and everything that went with it. It only gave her a greater appreciation for the wizarding world.

Laughter tumbled from her lips as she soared just above the rings that were stationed as goals. As soon as she reached her desired height, she sped forward, following the perimeter of the pitch. Each lap she would increase her speed until all she could hear was the rush of wind and the racing of her heart. Maintaining her speed, she did a few barrel rolls, taking care to make sure she didn't disorient herself.

A few more techniques later, and she was feeling exhausted and exhilarated all at once. She paused in midair to catch her breath. The sun was slowly starting to set, casting a fiery glow on everything around her and lengthening the shadows. Panting softly, she gazed around her, taking in the magic of the scenery. However, what she did not expect, was a person sitting in one of the stands, cloaked within the shadows. Someone was watching her and she had no idea who it was or how long they had been there.

Rose felt as though her peaceful bubble had been popped and she was going to give the culprit a serious piece of her mind. Before the person had a chance to run off, she zoomed towards them at breakneck speed, stopping in front of them so that they had no escape. She dismounted her broom and approached them angrily. In an effort to keep from being smashed into, the person moved backwards quickly and ended up tripping over the bench, falling backwards immediately.

"God dammit Weasley, what the hell is your problem?!" Rose gave pause at the angry scowl. It was none other than the bane of her existence, Scorpius Malfoy. Her brows furrowed deeply as she tried to figure out just what in the hell he was doing. Clearly he was spying on her.

"Oh I don't know. Kinda have a thing against being stalked," she growled. "what the hell are you doing?" Scorpius didn't respond for a moment as he sat himself up, his back throbbing from having fallen against the bench behind him. He straightened his robes out before he ran his hands over his hair, attempting to smooth it down neatly but failing because of the wind that whipped through the stands.

"Don't flatter yourself, girl. I was waiting for someone. Didn't expect you to be here," he said imperturbably as he linked his hands together and rested them behind his head as he leaned back against the bench behind him. Rose's frown deepened at his response as she stepped off her broom. He had to be lying. She did not see anyone when she first came out.

"Clearly they have a brain and decided not to show," she mumbled as she brushed a whisper of her hair out of her face. The wind was making her already unmanageable hair even more so. She caught Malfoy's gaze for a hint of a second before he looked away, feigning disinterest.

"I don't date women with brains," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. Clearly Rose was displeased with his answer for the next moment found himself on the ground between the two benches, looking up at a very angry red head.

"You misogynistic git!" she screamed before attempting to stomp on a rather sensitive part of his body. He only narrowly escaped, his eyes wide in horror before narrowing angrily.

"You crazy bitch! What the hell is your issue?!" he yelled, tired of nearly being beaten to death. Instead of gaining a verbal respond, Rose held her broom over her head, intending to club him with it. Once more he dodged, hopping up onto a bench and dancing around her. In an effort to keep her from swinging the now deadly piece of wood, he wrapped his arms around her from behind in a bear hug. The red head seemed to stop dead in her tracks for just a moment.

Rose could barely comprehend what was happening right now. Once moment she was trying to put Malfoy out of her misery and the next he was holding her. Granted it was a very tight embrace, meant to immobilize her, but it was still his body pressed against hers. She found this to be incredibly distracting as she discovered just how toned and hard his body was. The man had muscles that she was clearly not aware of as he held her still. Her breathing was heavy from chasing him, but now she was discovering that, that might not be the only reason why she was out of breath. She could feel Malfoy's breath heavily in her ear as he attempting to regain himself from being chased. It was sending shivers down her spine. She knew that she should hate it but her body was betraying her as goose bumps erupted over her skin. What was wrong with her?

Scorpius was satisfied that the fiery woman had finally stopped attacking him. He had been telling the truth about someone meeting him but they had already met in front of the Quidditch Pitch. Honestly, he didn't know that Weasley was going to be there but he found himself distracted when he did. There was something… enticing about the way she moved through the air. Something he hated admitted to himself but knew there was no denying. The pure joy she found from flying was intoxicating and for a brief moment he wanted to know what that sort of joy felt like. He thought that maybe if he watched her, he might get a taste of it too. Of course he did not expect to get caught.

When Rose was no longer struggling, lost in her own thoughts, his grip loosened but never disappeared entirely. What he found surprising was that she didn't utilize the moment to break away from him. It was then that he became overly aware of her scent. It was impossible to get away from the mane that she called her hair but it smelled lovely. She smelled of cinnamon and something floral. It was uniquely her own and he felt that it fit her firecracker personality while maintaining a femininity that she never displayed. Yeah, there was something seriously wrong with him. It had been a while since he had gotten laid. That had to be it.

"Let go of me, Malfoy," Rose said quietly, losing some of the fire that she had before. Her heart was racing and it was not because of the adrenaline of trying to kill the man before her. Scorpius let her go and backed up, holding his hands up defensively.

"Fine, but quit trying to hit me," he said, his voice calmer and casual. Rose whipped around, intending on giving him a piece of her mind once more but her spark never ignited her fiery temper.

Malfoy was standing in front of her, but his face was angled away, looking off somewhere. His normally immaculate platinum hair was sticking out at wild angles, having been mussed up by the wind. The light of the setting sun made his pale skin appear to glow, almost as if he was some sort of sun god. His grey eyes sparkled just a bit and it was dazzling. He had his hands tucked into the pockets of his pants and his shirt was opened a bit more than usual from the struggle. The Slytherin tie he had been wearing had blown over his shoulder, giving him an aloof and almost comical appearance that would have been funny had he not been appearing so damned attractive. Once more Rose found herself out of breath and she hated it.

"Q-Quit stalking me," she stammered, hating that he was affecting her the way that he was. Malfoy's finely manicured brow arched questioningly at her loss of composure. Before her cheeks could match the color of her hair, Rose mounted her broom and zoomed off towards the school. Dinner would be starting soon and she needed to get her head on straight. Too much had been happening to her and it was throwing her off balance. Yeah, the trauma of the first night plus her impending detention was messing with her. That was it because there was no way she was all of a sudden attracted to Malfoy.

Rose was more than a little distracted as she headed back to her common room to get cleaned up for dinner. Lost in her thoughts, she absentmindedly banged the eagle knocker but didn't pay attention to the riddle. Frowning, she asked for it to repeat the riddle to which it denied her request. A frustrated growled escaped her. This was the first time in the history of her schooling that she had been unable to enter her common room and due to it almost being dinner time, no one was going to be going in or out any time soon.

Grumbling to herself, she rest her broom over her shoulder and headed to the nearest bathroom so that she could at least wash her hands and face.

" _Damn you, Malfoy. This is all your fault. You continue to ruin my day even when you are not around me,"_ she thought irritably as she was forced to remain in her outside clothing.

When she reached the bathroom, she slipped inside and went to the nearest sink. Thankfully, there was no one inside because she was feeling pretty silly right now. Sighing, she gripped the edges of the sink as she gazed into the mirror. Her hair was its normal fiery craziness but her cheeks almost matched its color. The red in her cheeks only made her blue eyes seem that much brighter. Some of her flustered appearance was due to her flying but she also knew that is was in part Malfoy's fault as well. Only part of that was irritation.

Rose flushed even deeper at this thought. She could not let Malfoy get to her like he was. No, she needed to get her head back on straight. With a determined look, she ran the water cold before splashing her face repeatedly. Once she was satisfied with the result, she dried both her hands and face. Removing her hair tie, she attempted to run her fingers through her hair in an effort to comb it into submission. Becoming frustrated, she let out a puff of air before retying her pony tail.

Grabbing her broom, she took her leave of the bathroom and rushed down to dinner, this time paying more attention to her surroundings. She would not let Malfoy catch her off guard any more. She was Rose Weasley and there was no way she was going to let a Malfoy get the better of her. With her conviction set, she sauntered into the Great Hall, not caring that she stuck out. Immediately she snagged a seat with her family.

"How was flying?" Albus asked, looking her up and down. It was odd that she had not changed into something different. He was about to inquire about that as well but a sharp gaze from the red head made him swallow the question.

"It was perfect," she said with a bright smile. The flying had gone well; it was her encounter afterwards that had her in a tizzy. "I'm glad to have gotten that out of my system. Now I just need to get through detention and I will just be peachy."

"You know detention lasts more than one night, right?" Hugo piped up. He knew his sister was worried about detention but he needed to bring up the reality of the matter. It was for the next two weeks and she was worried just about getting through this one. Rose's smile faltered slightly but she did her best to retain her demeanor as she piled food on her plate.

"Yeah, I know but I may get lucky and not have to endure the full sentence. Also, seeing how things fair tonight can better prepare me for the future," she said, trying to make herself feel better. Yeah, if she just thought of it as research maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"Maybe… " Hugo said unconvincingly as he continued eating his dinner. "so, Al tells me that you are going to enter your name in the tournament because he did." Rose sighed heavily at this, recalling her cousin's idiocy.

"Yes, well he's not the brightest. Apparently he has a death wish," she said, speaking as though Albus was not sitting right there with them. Albus made a disapproving noise.

"But think of all the glory that comes with it. I could make a name for myself that wasn't connected with my father's" he said, his eyes bright at the thought.

"Or everyone will be expecting that out of you because of our father," Lily said with a shrug of her shoulders, jumping in on the conversation. Frowning, Albus took a large bite into a roll before chewing irritably.

"You guys are so negative," he complained. Rose gave him a look of disgust as she reached over and pressed her hand up against the underside of his jaw, clamping his mouth shut.

"Don't talk with your mouth full. It's gross," she said disapprovingly. Instead of complying, Albus stuck a food riddled tongue out at her. Rose quickly flung her hand out in an effort to smack him, to which he dodged. He looked quite pleased at himself too which only irritated her further.

"God you can be so obnoxious, "she groaned as she gazed down at her food. Suddenly she didn't feel quite as hungry. This time Lily reached out and smacked her brother, successfully landing her attack.

"Gah, really Sis? Why don't you ever take my side," he asked with a pout. She just rolled her eyes at her older brother.

"Because someone has to defend Rose against you icky boys," she said with a smirk. Albus waved his hand dismissively at her but Hugo pouted.

"I'm not icky. I'm actually rather well behaved," he said defensively.

"Right, says the one who has detention," Rose interjected. Hugo looked like he wanted to counter what she said but he knew that he had no leg to stand on. Instead, he went back to eating his dinner. Both Rose and Lily laughed at his lack of a response.

Rose smiled as her appetite returned and she ate once more. If her mood continued like this, she was sure that she would be okay for the rest of the night. Before long, dinner was over. Hugo had offered to walk her to her common room so that she could attempt to get inside and change once more before they had to head to detention. This time she was able to get inside and successfully change. She wore a more casual version of her uniform. It was just the button up shirt and skirt, no robes or tie and she had let her hair down. A short while later, she returned to her brother and they headed down to the dungeons.

"So… how long does this last?" she asked as they walked. The classroom they were supposed to meet in was a spare one located at the very back of the dungeons. She felt like they had been walking for an eternity before they reached it. However, being in the dungeons still made her a bit nervous. Every shadow they passed she expected something to jump out and attack them. She hated how jumpy she was feeling now because of her encounter on the first night. It was almost enough to drive a person mad.

"Depends on who is proctoring it. It could be an hour or it could be several. Let's hope for the best," he said with a shrug as he held the door open for his sister. Rose wrinkled her nose at the idea of being in the dank dungeons for several hours.

When they entered the room, the only person sitting at one of the desks was Malfoy's friend from earlier. If she recalled correctly, his last name was something like Goyle but she didn't know his first name. The faculty member who was supposed to be watching them was no in yet either. She was not surprised that there wasn't anyone else who was serving detention. It wasn't common for that much trouble to be conducted on only the second day of school.

Sighing, she sat down at the nearest desk and dropped her bag quietly on top of it. If all was well, she would be able to work on her schoolwork and just utilize the time smartly instead of wasting her night. Hugo sat down next to her and pulled out a book. He was not a fan of homework but he did enjoy reading.

"Well look who decided to show. I thought you were going to have a meltdown so strong you were going to be in the infirmary," came Malfoy's mocking voice as he strutted into room.

Rose groaned and buried her face in her hands. She was not sure why it took her this long to realize it, but she was going to be spending detention with Malfoy for the next two weeks. Two weeks of her nights being shared with the bane of her existence. She could already feel a few years of her life and sanity slipping away. God, she had to somehow get out of detention or have the professor have her do something else for her detention.

Scorpius sat at a desk that was two seats away from Rose just so he could antagonize her. The look on her face when she saw him was amusing. He wasn't sure why but irritating the woman and forcing her attention on him gave him such joy. It had always been this way, since the two of them were introduced to one another. It was so easy to get a rise out of her. Her eyes would turn sharp and sometimes her face would flush temptingly. He frowned as he realized his thoughts were getting away from him.

"Ugh, what's your issue?" Rose demanded, noticing his frown. His gaze slid over to hers as he leaned back in his chair, propping his feet up.

"I have to look at your ugly face," he said a bit more harshly than he had intending. He didn't like being called out. If looks could kill, however, her brother would have murdered him on the spot. The kid, while being two years younger than him, was quite the scrapper. His face still felt tender even with a mending spell.

"Shut your trap, Malfoy before I do it for you," Hugo growled, truly sick of the prat. He was nothing but trouble and he was tired of him always attacking his sister. When it first started happening, years ago, he figured he was being a stupid guy and picking on the girl he liked. It carried on for far too long for that to be the case. He really wasn't sure what he had against his sister specifically.

"Kid, you don't even register on my radar of intimidating," he said casually, truly not affected by his threat. However, he could appreciate the fact that he wanted to defend his sister. He would never admit to that but he could appreciate the loyalty.

Before anyone could say anything else, the professor who was proctoring the detention walked in. Rose shrank in her seat with great defeat as she realized it was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. While she normally liked Rose, she was the one who issued her detention and was more than upset with her. So much for her thinking she was going to be able to get out of detention early. The professor had a point to prove. Not to mention, she was a very strict woman when she wanted to be. Seeing as how she was conducted detention, Rose had a feeling that she was not going to be the nicest.

"You two, separate," she demanded, indicating to Rose and Hugo. Grumbling to himself, Hugo got up and moved a several desks over until the professor was satisfied. Scorpius snickered gleefully but was quickly silenced by a glare from the professor. She was kind to no one.

"This is not social hour nor is it study hall. I have several tasks for you to complete before the night is up," stated, causing Rose to sigh heavily but silently. This was definitely not how she wanted to spend her night. Goyle and Malfoy didn't seem to care but Hugo was on the same page as her.

"Mr. Weasley, you will be assisting the librarian in reorganizing specific sections of the library. You will do everything and anything that she requests. Mr. Goyle, you will remain here with me as I have various tasks that need to be done in preparation for my class. Mr. Malfoy and Miss Weasley, you will both head out to the Herbology Greenhouse and retrieve every ingredient on this list and then proceed to package it properly so that it may be stored in our Potion Master's storage room. As much as I wish to keep you two separate, only seventh years have knowledge and skill in preparation of these ingredients. Also, due to it being after dark, I cannot in good conscience send one of you alone. Now, all of you get to work," she said dismissively as she sent Hugo away and gave Rose the list of ingredients.

That's it. Rose was absolutely convinced that the universe hated her this year. So far, she had been stuck with Malfoy more so in the last 48 hours then she had probably in the entire time she had known him. If it wasn't for professors sticking them together, it was him running into her or stalking her. It was more than she could stand.

Sighing heavily once more, she gave her brother a woeful, distressed look before taking the piece of parchment and heading out of the room. She would not speak to Malfoy unless it was absolutely necessary. All she wanted to do was finish this task as soon as possible and go back to her common room. She still had homework she wanted to get a head start on.

Scorpius walked along side Rose, allowing for the silence for just the moment. His hands were tucked in his pockets as he walked casually. She seemed truly distraught that they were working together. While he was not overly fond of the idea, there was definitely something that kept placing the two together. He was not sure if it was good thing or a bad thing but one thing that was for sure was that the two of them did not get along. They were far too different from one another and she wasn't even his type of woman. Before long, he could not take the silence any longer.

"What exactly are we retrieving?" he inquired, taking the list from Rose before she could say or do anything. This only earned him an angry glare from her. It appeared that she was doing her best to give him the silent treatment. It wouldn't last long. The woman had a bit of a temper on her when it came to him, apparently. He smiled to himself at this while he looked at the list.

Rose wanted to throttle Malfoy already and they had only been walking for less than five minutes. He was narcissistic and seemed to think that he was entitled to everything. She wanted to smack the smug look off of his face but she refrained. No, she needed to remain calm and collected. It was not like her to get so fired up so easily even with Malfoy being the cause of it. It had to be the stress of this being her final year and she was not starting it off the greatest. Taking a very deep breath, she slowly let it out.

"There are approximately ten different ingredients we need to retrieve. Each one a plant or herb of sorts. They are advanced and need to be harvested in specific manners. Some even require spells to acquire. Then, they need to be prepared and packaged just a specifically to ensure that they do not decay and remain as potent as possible. The ingredients that do not stay fresh for very long we need to retrieve last," she explained in a scholarly manner.

Scorpius' mouth dropped open a bit. He was stunned that she had spoken to him for as long as she did without yelling at him. Then there was the fact that she had to go on a know-it-all tirade that might have been impressive if he was a professor. There was no doubt she was smart but it also made her very dull.

"Geez, thanks. Just wanted the list," he mumbled. "no wonder you can't get a boyfriend. You bore everyone to death." He folded the list up and stuck it in his pocket. Rose frowned at his statement. For some reason, it hurt more than it should have.

Her dating career was not really any better than Albus'. While she was not entirely sure why he couldn't get a girlfriend, she couldn't get a boyfriend pretty much for the reason that Malfoy declared. She was far too focused on her studies and most guys were not all about that. They wanted to be more physical, not content unless they were kissing or shagging. It was frustrating to say the least. Even the Ravenclaw boys were like that. While they were intelligent enough to hold a profound conversation, they were either stuck up or too consumed by whatever their ambition was. It was frustrating to say the least. She had a few boyfriends in the past but the never lasted long.

Scorpius was surprised by her silence. Normally something like that would have had her yelling at him in an instant. Instead, she seemed genuinely sad. She was trying to maintain her composure but he could see it in her eyes. For reasons unknown, it bothered him for the first time that he had caused her to be sincerely upset. He had to bite his tongue to keep from apologizing. What was wrong with him? Not knowing what to say, he just remained quiet and the two of them continued on their route.

Rose was thankful for when they finally exited the dungeon. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest. The dungeon felt oppressive on a normal day let alone with her worrying about an invisible creature attacking her. She was more than ready to be outside.

The night was cool and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Above them were millions of bright stars glittering in the sky along with a half moon. There was a very gentle and warm breeze that rustled the grass and trees, creating a gentle symphony. The night was alive with the various sounds of the creatures that came out once it was dark. This in itself was magical. Rose couldn't keep the smile from sliding onto her face.

Scorpius found himself temporarily distracted by her smile. It was so pure and filled with absolute delight. He was not sure what was making her so happy. They had not done or seen anything. All they had done was walk outside but it seemed to really make her happy. The light of the moon made her crystalline eyes glow and it made her seem like some ethereal being.

Not liking these foreign feelings, he took charge of their walking. If he wasn't looking at her then he couldn't get distracted. She didn't say anything and simply followed him, gazing at various things as they walked. A short distance away, they reached the Greenhouse and stepped inside. It had been left unlocked for them and noticing a timer on the wall, a spell was set to ward the place with a locking charm until the morning.

The atmosphere was drastically different inside the greenhouse compared to outside. It was humid and warm for the most part but certain parts of the building had specific conditions that had to be maintained in order for the plants they were assigned to could thrive.

Rose reached into Scorpius' pants pocket where she had seen him stuff away the list and retrieved it. She had thought nothing of what she had done until the man had jumped a good three feet away from her. His eyes were wide with surprise and for just a moment she thought that she saw him blush.

"What the hell? You could have asked," he grumbled, not wanting to dwell on the fact that her hand had come dangerously close to a certain part of his anatomy. Rose shrugged, smirking just a bit at his loss of composure.

"You might have said no and I would have had to steal it regardless. This way I had the element of surprise," she said impishly as she began walking along the rows of plants, scouting out what she needed. Once he composed himself, Malfoy followed along behind her, grumbling irritably. Not wishing for him to practically be glued to him, she took the list and tore it in half, giving him one piece.

"You get everything on your list and I'll get everything on mine and then we will go," she directed. Malfoy rolled his eyes at her demanding nature but conceded regardless. He wanted the night to be over just as much as she did.

Rose was more than thankful when he took his list and moved to the other side of the greenhouse. It was must easier for her to concentrate when he wasn't around breathing down her neck. Breathing in the air, she enjoyed most of the scents that had mingled together.

Herbology and potions went hand in hand for her. She liked being able to use fresh ingredients and to be able to grow and harvest them herself. Maybe detention wouldn't be so bad if she got to keep doing things like this. She inspected various plants as she continued on her search for the ones on her list. Everything was grown perfectly here and she was envious. She was good at growing things but she still had a ways to go. If it wasn't for her mother, her little garden at home would be history if left up to her father. She couldn't tend it while she was at school so she was thankful.

A good hour had passed as she worked in silence. She had forgotten that she was there was Malfoy until she realized that she had not heard a single peep out of him the entire time. Frowning, she stood up from where she was. Did he leave her there? While she would not mind, she needed to know. As if he knew that she was looking for him, she heard his voice cry out, pained.

"God dammit!"


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 4*~**

Rose felt her heart drop into her stomach at the pained cry that she heard from somewhere in the greenhouse. It was definitely Malfoy and he sounded more than a little hurt. Frowning, she rushed over to where she thought she heard him. The only light she currently had was that of the moon filtering in from the glass ceiling.

"Where are you?" she called out only to hear a groan near her. She practically tripped as she stumbled over something fleshy and hard. Looking down, it was Malfoy lying on his back. She felt her heart skip a beat as she knelt beside him.

"Ngh, geez did ya need to step on me?" he grumbled through gritted teeth. He was in an exceeding amount of pain.

"I-I'm sorry. What happened?" she asked, worried lacing her voice as she temporarily lost her composure. Yes, he was the bane of her existence but she didn't want something terrible to happen to him. She was not that sort of person.

"Don't know. One minute I was harvesting and the next my hand feels as though it's on fire," he explained, his voice strained in pain. It was then that Rose noticed the blood. Malfoy was clutching his right hand to his chest where she could see a dark stain spreading against his white shirt. His hand was coated in blood and she feared the worse. Looking around, she noticed the plant that he had to have touched.

"You're supposed to use gloves when handling that. Just touching it is like acid. It's quite poisonous in this form but once properly mixed in a potion, it has a lot of positive uses," she said as she looked back down at him.

"Great, I'm going to get a lesson before I die. Thanks Weasley, you're the best," he said dryly before wincing. Rose bit her lower lip, distraught at seeing him the way that he was. She was not used to this man losing his composure. Sweat was starting to bead on his forehead and as she pressed her hand to his face, she could feel that he was getting clammy.

"We need to get you to the infirmary. I can't cast a mending spell because your blood draining right now is keeping the poison from spreading any faster. If I seal you up, I seal up the poison within you," she explained, trying to stay calm despite the rapid beating of her heart. "but I do need to keep you from bleeding out entirely." With that she looked around for something to bandage him with and create a tourniquet.

Nearby, she found an elastic band that was used to adhere plants to wooden spikes to keep them upright. She wrapped that around his forearm to keep the poison from spreading further. Unable to find something to stop the bleeding however, she began to lose some of her composure.

"My shirt. Use my shirt," he groaned, trying to be somewhat useful even though his head was starting to become foggy. Rose nodded and leaned over him, deftly unbuttoning his shirt. Scorpius could not keep himself from staring up at her. Her fingers were practically gliding over his skin, causing him to shiver. Or maybe that was the poison. His eyes watched her movements and he found himself increasingly enticed. The daze that he was in made him not care that he was being obvious.

There was no time for Rose to really consider what she was doing. All that was on her mind was getting Malfoy to a stable point so that she could bring him to the infirmary. Once she had his shirt unbuttoned, she gently lifted Malfoy up into a sitting position so that she could slide the shirt out from under him. Instead of trying to maneuver the shirt over his bad hand, she simply left it on and wrapped it around.

Scorpius was having a hard time sitting up, so he found himself leaning against Rose to keep himself from collapsing backwards once more. If he looked anywhere but what was in front of him, his head would start spinning. Once more he found his senses permeated by her scent. He found it to be incredibly soothing right now and it kept him focused. The pain was still clearly there, but he was currently distracted.

As Rose continued to work on him, she shifted in such a manner that he slid off of her shoulder and slumped forwards, finding himself buried in her rather ample chest. Yes, he wouldn't mind getting poisoned a few more times if this was the sort of treatment he would endure. Somewhere he wanted to yell at his brain for that thought, because this was Weasley, but he couldn't care right now.

When she found Malfoy practically buried in her chest, was when she became all too aware of what she was doing. The man before her was shirtless and sitting perfectly in a beam of moonlight, making his alabaster skin appear polished and perfect like marble. He wasn't overly muscular but rather lithely built like an athlete. She knew this was not the time to be checking him out but for some reason she could not help herself.

A deep flush spread over her cheeks and nose as she realized that he was still buried in her chest. Gently, so as to not cause further pain, she pushed him back a bit but kept him steady. She gained, quite possibly, the cutest pout ever from Malfoy. He jutted his lower lip out and frowned at having been removed. She was not sure whether to laugh or gasp. Oh yeah, the poison had definitely affected his mental capacities.

"C-Come on, you have to try to stand," she stuttered as she stood up, bringing him with her. She groaned at how much he weighed, but she was thankful that it was not entirely dead weight.

Scorpius moaned in pain as he was forced to move. Somehow he managed to stand up, gripping Rose's shoulder tightly with his good hand. She adjusted him so that his arm was slung over her shoulders and her arm was wrapped around his waist to support him. He looked down distractedly at the arm that was around his waist. Why did that feel appropriate? Why did it seem right? He frowned as he tried to sift through his muddled thoughts.

The ingredients forgotten, the two slowly but surely made their way up to the castle. Malfoy had stumbled a few times, nearly causing the two of them to collapse but Rose had saved them. Though, the closer they got to the castle the more she felt his weight pressing on her. He was fading in and out of consciousness and it was really worrying her. Thankfully, the Hospital Wing was located on the first floor and she would not have to endure the moving stairs.

By the time she reached the nurse and he was placed in a bed, he had fully lost consciousness. Rose explained to the nurse what plant it was that he had touched so that she knew what antidote to administer. Granted, she was sure the woman could tell regardless but Rose wanted to feel as though she was helping. Once it appeared that Malfoy was stable, the nurse ushered her out of the room so that he could rest.

Rose felt like she was in her own daze as she headed back to the greenhouse to finish her task. It seemed silly given everything that had just happened but she needed something to ground her. Not to mention the professor was still going to expect the task to be done. It took her another hour to gather up the ingredients seeing as how she was doing it alone. When she returned to the detention classroom so that she could prepare and store the ingredients, the professor stopped her.

"That's enough for the night, Miss Weasley. I have been informed of Mr. Malfoy's status. It's getting late and Mr. Goyle and Mr. Weasley have already retired for the night. I will store these temporarily but you and Mr. Malfoy shall continue this tomorrow night," she said as she removed the ingredients from Rose's possession. Still in her daze, she nodded before taking her leave of the dungeons.

Hugo was waiting for her outside of her common room. She was not sure how long he had been waiting there but he seemed content for the moment. He was sitting down on a nearby bench reading a book. When she approached his general vicinity, he looked up and his eyes grew to the size of sauces.

"What the hell happened to you?!" he exclaimed as he rushed over to her. Rose was confused by his outburst until she looked down. Her own white shirt had been stained with blood. It was Malfoy's of course but it looked terrible.

"Ah! I'm fine really. It's not even my blood, its Scorpius'" she explained. Hugo seemed relieved for the moment before arching a brow.

"Since when do you call him Scorpius? And why is he blood on you?" he inquired as he crossed his arms over his chest, must like a chiding parent. Rose rolled her eyes at him.

"That's his name and he was injured while we were collecting the ingredients for detention," she said drolly, trying her best not to roll her eyes. Hugo held his pose before cracking a smile.

"Serves him right, Karma's a bitch for getting us all into detention," he said semi-harshly, still with his smile in place. Rose gaped at him.

"Hugo! It was terrible! No one deserves what happened, even Malfoy. You should be ashamed of yourself," she chastised, not liking her brother's behavior at all. It was Hugo's turn to gape once more.

"Since when do you care? Why does it matter what happens to him? He's never been nice to any of us let alone you. If you and he reversed rolls, he wouldn't help you," he said quickly.

Rose glared at her brother but kept from responding. She wanted to believe that Malfoy wouldn't be that cruel. That if her life was in jeopardy that he would do something about it. Frowning further, she wondered why she even cared. Nothing had changed between the two of them. This year wasn't any different… right?

"Just drop it, Hugo. I'm fine and all I want to do is get cleaned up and go to bed. Thanks for worrying about me though," she said gently. Her sincere declaration took the wind out of Hugo's sails. He sighed heavily before giving her a half smile and hugging her, careful not to get blood on himself.

"Okay fine. See you in the morning," he said before leaving her alone. Rose watched her brother walk away until he was well out of sight. She made her way over to the common room door before answering the riddle and stepping inside.

Her mind kept going over the night's events. For some reason, whenever she was with Malfoy the strangest things happened. If this continued all year, she was not sure if she was going to graduate. It was only the second day of school after all. She was beyond exhausted in all aspects: emotionally, physically, and mentally. All she wanted to do was forget all of her confusing feelings and concentrate on her school work.

Rose showered quickly before changing into her pajamas. It was a silk button up, long sleeved shirt with matching pants that were sky blue with dark blue ravens on it. It was cute and it reminded her of her Ravenclaw pride despite the mascot being an eagle. Smiling to herself, she crawled underneath the covers before promptly falling asleep, exhausted from the day.

A couple of hours passed but Rose found herself tossing and turning in the middle of the night despite her exhaustion. She was having a nightmare that she found out that Malfoy had died from his injuries that night. He was reaching out to her, bloodied with his flesh falling apart from the poison. It was gruesome and terrifying. He almost reminded her of a zombie except for his grey eyes were very human. They were filled with pain and betrayal, as though it was her fault that he was in his current state. She found herself immobilized by fear as he drew closer and closer to her.

Suddenly, as he would have reached her, she woke up, bolting upright in her bed. Her scream was lodged in her throat and she was breathing heavily. Her heart was racing a mile a minute and she could feel it pounding as she pressed her hands to her chest. She breathed deeply for a few moments as she buried her face in her hands, trying to decipher what her dream could have meant. Her body was covered in a cold sweat, forcing her to get out of bed and try to splash some water on her face. Even performing this, she did not feel entirely right.

After a few moments she was much calmer but that dread was nagging at her. Before she knew what she was doing, she had pulled a night robe over her pajamas, slipped on some slippers and was sneaking out. Due to how late it was, even with her being the Head Girl she could get into a lot of trouble for being out. Her mind and her heart kept telling her that she needed to see Scorpius and to make sure he was okay and not suffering. She didn't currently care that she should not feel this way. All that mattered was making sure he was okay.

It felt like an eternity before she finally reached the Hospital Wing. Thankfully, she had managed to slip by undetected. The wing was so very still and silent that she feared that perhaps her dream had come true. She never really liked being here. It was normally under terrible circumstances that a person ended up here and she could feel that. The silence was not peaceful but almost sad, like walking into a mausoleum.

Even with her being as quiet as possible, the soft scuffle of her slippers could be heard reverberating off of the walls. The wing was dark except for the soft glow of a lantern that had been left on the bedside of the very last bed. This bed was the only one that was occupied and even from where she was standing she could tell that it was Scorpius.

Slowly, with her heart pounding every step of the way, she walked down the center aisle between the beds until she was standing at the foot of Scorpius' bed. The glow of the lantern cast a soft light upon his face and from where she was standing, it didn't look like his condition had worsened. Gathering her courage, she moved to stand next to him so that she could inspect him.

Rose let out a breath she wasn't even aware that she had been holding. Scorpius was sleeping peacefully, not even a frown on his face. Actually, now that she thought about it, this was the first time she had ever seen him without a scowl or disapproving look. He was completely vulnerable right now and vaguely she felt bad that she was ambushing him like this. If he knew that she was here right now it would be nothing but terrible things.

Exhausted from unnecessary worry, she plopped down in a nearby chair. What was wrong with her? Her brother was right, why did she care so much? What she was doing now was going up and beyond the scope of just being a Good Samaritan. This was the sort of thing a girlfriend did and she was the farthest thing from it. It was not like she even wanted that title.

Her eyes scanned over him once more. He really was okay. Even his breathing was soft and gentle. His hand had been bandaged properly and there wasn't even blood staining it. She was sure, come morning, the nurse would administer a mending spell and he would be back to his old self again. A sharp pain pierced her heart at that thought. Things would be the same, which meant that he would go back to tormenting and saying terrible things to her. Granted, part of the night he had already done that but when she was helping him, it appeared that he truly needed her. No, maybe that he even wanted her.

Shaking her head, she knew that she had to get that silly thought straight out of her mind. There was no way in the seven hells that Malfoy was even going to be friends with her. Despite everything that had happened in the last two days. The two of them had been enemies from day one. Honestly, she wanted to be nice to him but he was the one who started out snide and cocky, even at eleven years old. She could almost guarantee it was because of his father and grandfather. Neither one of them liked her family. She felt that feuds should stay between the persons not the families. Unfortunately, that was neither here nor there. Things were as they were always going to be.

Another sigh was elicited from her as she stood up. There was no use in hanging around. Scorpius was clearly fine and there was no reason for her to worry any further. She glanced over at the sleeping Slytherin once more. His hair was extremely mussed up to the point of where she couldn't even tell that it had even been neat. She was surprised to find that his hair had some actual length to it now that it wasn't sleeked back. Before she could stop herself, she brushed some of it off of his forehead, a hint of a smile on her lips.

Half a second later, she regained her senses and practically ran out of the Hospital wing. There was something seriously wrong with her and she needed to get as far away from Scorpius Malfoy as possible before she did something she regretted. School came first. Everything else could wait. Already because of him she was serving detention which was hindering just about everything in her life. As before, she managed to slip back into her dorm without being seen and promptly turned in for the night.

A few moments after Rose left the ward, Scorpius opened his eyes, having been awake from the moment she walked in. Gently, he rest the back of his good hand against his forehead, his skin still tingling from where she touched. At first, he thought she was some apparition his mind dreamed up from the venom. There was no way that Rose Weasley was visiting him in the Hospital Wing at this ungodly hour. It wasn't until she had touched him that he believed she was there. It felt too real to be imagined.

As strange as it was that she was there, it was even stranger how he felt. He wasn't even sure how much of it was himself or the poison. She had seemed so worried about him, even more so than when he first became injured. If he didn't know any better, she seemed as though he had possibly died. Instead of being thrilled at that, she seemed truly distraught. He had peeked at her a couple of times from barely opened eyes and he was even more surprised when she had decided to sit with him.

Rose had come to him wearing only her pajamas which indicated to him that something had truly spooked her for her to come dressed that way. She was all about being immaculate and he could not imagine that she would have been pleased for her lifelong enemy to see her that way. He couldn't deny it, but he thought that she looked rather cute even if her pajamas were rather prudish. It only seemed to add to the charm that was uniquely hers.

A soft sigh escaped him as he gazed up at the massively vaulted ceiling. The poison had definitely taken its toll on him and if Rose hadn't brought him here as quickly as she did, he was sure they would be planning his funeral. It was incredible stupid on his behalf. He knew that plant was dangerous but he was distracted. A slight dusting of pink darkened his cheeks as he recalled being distracted by her. It was nothing truly significant but it was enough for him to make a terrible mistake. He had been thinking, at the time, that he enjoyed the way the moonlight tangled in her fiery hair.

Ah what the hell. He was sick anyways. Might as well let his mind wander to places he normally wouldn't. He was alone in the infirmary so there was no one there to see his ridiculousness such as the small smile that was on his face. Sure he had friends and girlfriends, but not a single one of them would take the time out to make sure he was okay like Rose had just done.

He wasn't even sure when he started calling her Rose but it would only remain in his mind. Even if she was okay with him, there was still her brother and cousin he had to worry about. The two of them were fiercely protective over her, not that she couldn't handle things on her own. She was a firecracker if there ever was one.

After this night, he would return to normal. Things would be as they should be but for now he was giving himself this night. Allowing himself abnormal thoughts and feelings. Before long, he had fallen back asleep, Rose being the last thing on his mind.

The next morning, Rose was feeling dead to the world. She sat down at breakfast but was almost too exhausted to eat. Between having that nightmare and her rendezvous in the middle of the night, she didn't feel like she slept hardly at all. Yawning greatly, she propped her chin up on her hand and stared off into nothingness. It wasn't until Albus sat down, waving his hand in front of her face, did she snap out of it.

"Earth to Rose. What's going on with you? Was detention really that late?" he asked as he began loading his plate with food. His cousin was acting very strange, almost traumatized and he wondered if that was because of detention. She took things like that very seriously.

"I'm okay. Didn't sleep well. Detention sucked," she blurted blatantly. Albus stared at her for a moment, his brain attempting to comprehend her state of being.

"Ohhh….kaaaay…" he said slowly, dragging the word out, hoping that she would elaborate further. Rose sighed as she began pushing food around on her plate.

"Malfoy got injured while we were in detention and I was the one who had to look after him," she said vaguely, not wanting to go into detail just how bad it was or how much it bothered her. "so it was a long night."

"He probably deserved it," he said simply. He was not prepared for Rose to throw a piece of buttered toast at him. His eyes widened, genuinely confused. "what the hell did I do?" She didn't give him a response as she grabbed a piece of fruit and stormed out of the hall. Albus sat there, his jaw dropped as he tried to comprehend what just happened. He looked over at Hugo who had witnessed it all.

"I gave her the same speech last night. It's a sore subject for some reason," he said with a shrug as he ate his breakfast. Albus narrowed his eyes on his cousin.

"You could have warned me. You don't think…. she likes the git do ya?" he inquired, not liking the idea. No one liked the idea.

"No, I don't think it's that. You know that she can be too nice for her own good. Guess it was pretty bad and she's still not over it. Just give her time, I'm sure she'll return to normal," he said, trying to convince himself more than Albus.

Lily silently stood up and left the boys. She wanted to check up on Rose and give her another woman to talk to instead of the boys. Something was clearly bothering her and the boys were too oblivious to find out what it was. She found Rose sitting by the lake, eating her fruit irritably.

"Hey, you okay?" Lily asked as she sat down next to her cousin. Rose gripped her tightly for a moment, intending on throwing it until she realized who it was. A sigh of relief expelled from her.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I am just tired of the boys being so insensitive. Yeah, I know Malfoy is an asshole but they didn't see him last night. He could have died and you know I'm not about to let someone suffer if I can prevent it. It's why I want to become a Potions Master and travel the world. I want to help those with my abilities," she explained, leaning her head on the younger girl's shoulder. Lily pet her hair gently, wanting her to feel better.

"I get you. The boys are stupid. Hugo only told me whatever you told him," she said, wanting to know what really happened in Rose's words. After a few moments of silence, she explained to Lily what happened, leaving out the fact that she felt the need to visit Malfoy in the middle of the night. Lily listened to her quietly, allowing her to finish before she spoke.

"That makes sense. I can understand why you are upset but you know that Malfoy isn't going to appreciate it at all. I don't want your feelings to get hurt," she said as she hugged Rose, earning a soft smile from the older girl.

"I know and he doesn't have to. I know that I did the right thing," she said quietly as she released Lily. Stretching out, she laid out fully on the grass. She didn't have a class right after breakfast so maybe she would just relax out on the lawn. Lily laughed at how laid back her cousin was behaving.

"Well, I have class but I will see you later," she said as she stood up, earning a wave from Rose before taking her leave.

As soon as Lily left, Rose's smile fell just a bit as she gazed up at the leaves of the tree she was currently laying under. Somewhere deep inside, she kind of hoped that things might be different with Scorpius, but she knew better than to hold onto that. She had been looking, inconspicuously of course, around the Great Hall in hopes that Malfoy would be there so that it would be cemented that he was okay. Unfortunately, she had not seen him and instead had to fight the overwhelming urge to go visit him again. Growling, she threw her arm over her eyes and huffed, hoping to get him out of her mind. Before she knew it, she ended up dozing off.

Rose groaned as she woke up a little while later. She hadn't realized that she fell asleep but something had woken her up. It sounded like high-pitched, obnoxious laughter. Furrowing her brows, she sat up, her hair sticking out at odd angles with bits of grass and leaves embedded in it. She tried to smooth it out but she was distracted by the laughter. It sounded close, very close. Standing up, she placed her hands on the tree and looked around it.

A few yards away, against another tree was Malfoy. He had his back leaning against it but what bothered her, was what was leaning against him. The source of the annoying laughter was some nameless Slytherin girl who was pressed against him, trying to entice him. Rose was not sure why, but witnessing the scene set her blood on fire. Her heart plummeted when she saw him lean in for a kiss from the girl. For some crazy reason, she thought that he might seek her out and thank her in private for what she did last night. It was obvious that she didn't even cross his mind and it hurt more than it should have.

Now feeling like she was spying on a private matter, she moved back to the other side of the tree. Her heart was racing painfully and all she wanted to do was get away from the scene. Looking around, she cursed her horrid luck that seemed to always accompany her when Malfoy was around. There was no way for her to leave without being seen. Maybe, just maybe, because he was distracted he would not notice she was there.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped out from her hiding spot and made her way across the lawn. She could not stop herself, however, from looking over to see if he noticed her. What she did not expect was for him to be gazing at her directly, looking past the girl he was currently kissing. Was he mocking her? The thought was almost too much to bear. She was torn between rushing over to kick his arse and leaving him be. The rational side of her finally took over and she continued her way back to the castle.

The last person Scorpius had expected to be around was the woman he was currently trying to forget. He had woken up this morning, feeling more than fine and much more clear headed than the night before. The nurse had mended his hand completed with a spell once she was sure that he no longer had venom pulsing through his veins.

His first instinct had been to seek out Weasley, but then he recalled how idiotic that was. She had only helped him because it was her duty to do so. If he had died, it would have looked terrible with her being the Head Girl and the only person with him at the time. Her late night appearance was to make sure he was alive. Yeah, that was it.

Desperately trying to get back to normal and forget what happened, he sought out one of his fangirls that he knew would not mind being sweet talked. Sure enough, she was doing rather well at distracting him until Rose had walked passed them. He couldn't keep his gaze from her, despite the fact that he was supposed to be paying attention to the girl in his arms. If he hadn't known any better, he thought he saw hurt in Rose's eyes. Why she cared, he was not sure and why he cared that she cared he was especially not sure of. All that he knew was that he could not look away. Somewhere deep inside and locked away he felt bad, as though he was caught doing something he wasn't supposed to.

His gaze lingered on Weasley until she disappeared out of sight. He knew the proper thing to do would be to find her and thank her for the night before but that would ruin his reputation. There was something changing between the two of them and he wasn't sure if he was fond of it.

Sighing against the lips of the blonde before him, he broke the kiss and moved away from her, saying nothing. She called after him but honestly, he had just lost interest. Tucking his hands into his pockets, he headed back up to the castle to prepare for class.

Rose walked down the halls aimlessly, having intended on returning to her common room but instead just walking around. She was cursing herself in her mind. All she wanted was for things to return back to normal so that she could concentrate on her school work and making this her best year. It was the most important because she had to set herself up for life after school. All of this nonsense with Malfoy was becoming far too distracting.

With determination steeling her, she smacked her cheeks a couple of times as though she was trying to wake up from a dream. All she had to do was go back to her normal routine and things would fall into place. Yes, there was still the matter of detention but she would endure that. Maybe because of the mishap from last night, the professor wouldn't have the two of them working with one another again.

Taking a deep breath, she stopped her aimless wanderings and returned to her common room. Utilizing the time before class, she dressed appropriately and neatly as she always did and dove head first into school work. She worked all the way up until her next class. This was who she really was and this was all she needed.

During the break between her classes, she met up with Albus for lunch. Things proceeded as normal, which Albus was thankful for. It had appeared that Rose had recovered from whatever ailed her and was back to disliking Malfoy. He was not sure what had happened to her before but he was glad that it was over. Things were even fine between the two of them despite her having been angry at him earlier.

"So, you're okay now?" Albus asked for the third time. Rose rolled her eyes but retained her smile.

"Yes, I'm fine, Al. I took a nap earlier and it seemed to solve all of my problems," she said with a smile. It was sort of true. It was after the nap that she had discovered Malfoy and his play toy, which cemented her determination to return to normal.

"Okay… just wanna make sure. I didn't like the idea of Malfoy mucking things up for us," he said honestly. Rose gave pause at this before hugging her cousin tightly.

"Nothing could come between us. Family, first right?"

"Right," he said with a bright smile as he returned the hug. It felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of his chest. He knew that Hugo was going to be just as thrilled as he was.

"Okay, now that things are normal. Are you going to enter your name for the Triwizard Tournament?" he inquired. Rose gave him a blank look for just a moment before she recalled the even. She had completely forgotten about that with everything going on.

"Oh yeah. Kinda forgot. I know, I know how did I manage that? Yeah, I'll enter in but only because you were stupid to enter and someone has to look after your hide," she teased as they finished their lunch.

"Hey, it could be awesome," he said with a smile as he walked with her out of the Great Hall.

They headed into the room where the Goblet of Fire was being held. Rose shook her head disapprovingly as she dug around in her bag for a piece of parchment and a quill. She still couldn't believe that she was doing this. Granted, there was still the very high possibility that neither one of them would be picked so all the worrying would be for nothing. Scribbling her name on the parchment, she dropped it in the blue flames, watching as it disappeared.

"There, satisfied?" she asked as she walked away from the room. Albus draped his arm over her shoulder with a wide grin on his face.

"Hey, you're the one who wanted to do this to 'save' me," he teased. "though I am going to be very mad if you get picked and I don't. The Fates should just know that we are two peas in a pod that cannot be separated for any reason." This earned a laugh from Rose. Albus was her cousin and absolute best friend. She would be pretty upset if either one of them were picked without the other.

"I can agree with that. Well, class is about to start. I'll catch you at dinner," she said. Albus nodded before they parted ways. Rose was all smiles as she headed towards her class. Things were going to be much better now, she could feel it.

A few moments later, she reached the moving stairs and waited at the bottom for hers to return. Digging through her bag once more, she pulled out her notebook so that she could review her notes for class. When the stairs returned, she climbed up them without looking. She had walked this path a hundred times and knew it by heart. What she had not counted on, was the stairs to move just a bit faster than they usually did, not allowing for her to reach the top before they started moving.

Her eyes wide, she felt herself tumbling forward into nothingness. She had just been about to step on the landing for the next floor. Currently, she was between the third and fourth floor with nothing to stop her from plummeting. Her heart dropped immediately into her stomach and her mind went blank.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 5*~**

"Rose!" a concerned voice bellowed, echoing off the walls. Hugo had seen his sister heading up the stairs and had gone to catch up to her when the horrific scene began to unfold before him. There was no way that he was going to get to her in time, especially with him tripping up the stairs. His heart stopped as she disappeared from his view.

Having been waiting on the fourth floor landing, Scorpius had been waiting for the stairs to change so that he could descend to the third floor. He had seen Weasley making her way to his floor but she had appeared distracted so he kept quiet. There didn't need to be a confrontation. Currently, he was not in the mood for one. His thoughts had been interrupted by the other Weasley's cry.

Acting upon pure instinct, he dropped to the floor just as Rose plummeted and reached out to grab her hands. He felt the strain on his shoulders as he caught her dead weight. It was not like she was the heaviest thing in the world as she was rather tiny but the impact was strong enough. Groaning, he tightened his grip as he attempted to pull her up.

Rose felt the air leave her lungs as she fell. She was far too shocked to even scream. While she had been preparing for a terrible impact, she had not expected it to happen so soon and not in the manner she was predicting. Instead of crashing to the marble floor below, she felt her upper body jolt as her fall was abruptly stopped. She felt a pair of strong hands gripping her around her wrists, practically cutting off the circulation. She didn't care, however, as she was just thankful that she was no longer plunging to her death.

When she had been falling, she had heard her brother's voice. What did she did not expect, was the person who had saved her to be Malfoy. Gazing up at him, her eyes were wide with surprise. How did he get there? How long had he been there? Was he stalking her?

Scorpius groaned as Rose just stared up at him, her eyes wide. He was sure there were multiple reasons why she was in shock but that didn't help him at the moment. The longer she hung there, the heavier she was becoming and it was killing his muscles.

"Come on, help me lift you," he said forcefully as he tried to pull her up. Rose finally snapped out of her daze. Once she was able to, she grabbed the ledge of the landing and with Malfoy's help, she was able to hoist herself up. The two of them were breathing heavily and she was desperately trying to not go into hysterics.

Panting heavily, Scorpius attempted to catch his breath and calm Rose down. Gently, he placed a hand on her shoulder. The contact must have snapped something inside the girl for the next thing he knew, she was clinging to the front of him and sobbing. He was so shocked that for just a moment, his hands hovered, unsure of what he was supposed to be doing. Awkwardly, he placed his arms around her, trying to soothe her. His awkwardness came from the fact that they were in a public setting, her brother could see them, and he had a reputation to uphold.

Hugo felt extreme relief from his sister being saved. He wiped away the tears that were pricking the corners of his eyes. He had been convinced that he had lost his sister for good. However, he felt just as surprised as his sister that Malfoy had come to her rescue. Why was he there in the first place? He knew that he should not question it but if there was something up between the two of them, he wanted to know.

Hugo was hoping that Rose was acting the way that she was because she was in shock and not because it was Malfoy. In theory, she would have reacted the same way, regardless of who her savior had been. All he wanted to do was see his sister and get her away from Malfoy but the stairs appeared to continue their malfunctioning. They were lingering unnecessarily long on another landing.

Rose could not help the fact that she was crying. It was a mixture of fear and relief. She could have seriously died or been extremely wounded but Scorpius had saved her. All she wanted, just for the moment, was to be comforted and for some reason, she didn't mind the fact that it was Scorpius. She didn't expect, however, for him to wrap his arms around her. In fact, she had expected a snarky remark or for him to shove her away. He didn't and she was thankful for it.

A moment later, she finally got a grasp on herself and started to calm down. Slowly, she pulled away from Scorpius but remained on the floor with him. Everything about her was disheveled and now her eyes were red and puffy. It was the worst her appearance had been in a long time and she knew that it was something she shouldn't worry about but she was trying to ground herself. Thinking of small, innocuous things was a way to escape the large tragedy that nearly befell her.

Scorpius cleared his throat, opening his mouth as though he wanted to say something to her but immediately closed it. The other Weasley had finally made it to where they were, causing him to jump away from the girl before him. He had already acted uncharacteristically in front of the two Weasleys and a few bystanders. He wanted to keep the damage to his reputation down to a minimum. However, he couldn't bring himself to say something snarky to her. The girl was barely hanging on as it was. Deciding that silence was best, he said nothing and immediately took his leave.

Hugo watched as Malfoy left, seemingly unperturbed by what had happened. It was odd that the older male didn't say anything but he was grateful for it. Rose was upset as it was and if Malfoy had opened his dumb mouth, Hugo might have just pushed him off the edge.

"Are you okay?" Hugo asked, placing his hands on either side of his sister's shoulders. With a brief nod, Rose attempted to straighten herself out. Producing her wand, she mumbled a spell to retrieve her fallen items. Thankfully, it appeared that nothing had been really damaged. Nothing beyond what she was capable of fixing anyway.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," she replied shakily before taking a deep breath. Her mind could still barely comprehend what had just happened to her. Once more, it had been Malfoy who had been there. She was seriously starting to wonder if bad luck was always going to befall her with him around. Then it begged the question as to why he was always around her. It was like the universe was playing some sick joke on her.

Carefully, she stood up, using her brother as support. Her knees felt a little weak but she hoped that she would be able to walk it off. She hoisted her bag over her shoulder once more, pressing her palm to her forehead.

"I think…I'm going to lay down for a bit," she said, already being late for class. She never skipped class but she figured this would be a verifiable excuse.

"I'll walk you," Hugo said, not giving her the option to say no. Not wishing to fight with her brother, she agreed but informed him that she would lay down in the infirmary instead of her dorm. This way her professors would be notified. It was silly to want to be so official but that was just how she functioned. Hugo was used to her quirks and didn't argue. At least she was going to lay down instead of attempting to go to class.

Before long, Rose had reached the Hospital Wing with her brother. After speaking with the nurse, she was allowed to lay down for a while. She had explained the scenario to the nurse and after a brief check-up, it was confirmed that Rose was no worse for wear physically and just needed to rest to ease the emotional trauma.

"You should rest until dinner. I'll come get you if you want," Hugo offered as his sister climbed into one of the beds. In a bit of a daze, Rose nodded in response as she curled up under the thin white blanket. She tucked her hand under her chin and got comfortable. Almost instantly, her eyelids drooped closed and she fell asleep.

Hugo bit his lower lip uneasily but hoped that after she slept for a while, his sister would be feeling much better. A lot of terrible things seemed to be happening to her since they had started the school year and he wondered if it was coincidence or something more sinister. He also wondered if it was somehow Malfoy's doing. After all, he was always at the scene of the crime when something terrible happened.

Shaking his head of those thoughts, he took his leave of the Hospital Wing. Now he just had to go find Albus and let him know what happened. Rose and Al were close and if he didn't see her all day, he would worry. Then he would have to send an owl out to his parents to also let them know. It was not something he particularly wished to do but somehow the information would get back to them and if they found out that he withheld information, he was sure he would be visited by a nasty, bright red envelope.

Later in the day, Scorpius found himself unable to pay attention in Potions class. It was supposed to be Slytherins and Ravenclaws this session and he was surprised to find that Rose had not made it. The girl never missed a class, even when she was feeling unwell and it had him feeling very uneasy. Truth be told, she had been on his mind the entire time since had left her. He was not sure if she was okay or not and it had been nagging at him all day. Now not seeing her in class, he was convinced there was something wrong.

Wrinkling his nose, his potion began to give off a terrible burning odor. Cursing under his breath, he did his best to try and salvage it but it was no use. He had ruined the potion because he was too busy worrying about Rose. Why did he care in the first place? Now, technically, they were even. She had saved his life the night before and he saved hers so that meant that he could end their association, right? The thought seemed unappealing.

Sighing heavily, he was thankful when the class ended. This year was off to an odd start. He did not feel like himself and it was really bothering him. It had something to do with Rose, this he was sure of. When things had changed between the two of them, he was not sure, but they needed to change back. Even with this thought in mind, he found himself walking to the Hospital Wing.

Scorpius paused in the archway of the infirmary. Unlike himself, Rose typically had an entourage of family that was constantly around her. If any of them where here with her now, there would be no way for him to see her. Not that he blamed any of them. He hated them too.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, luck had smiled down on him and Rose was alone. However, what he did not count on was the fact that she was actually awake and just staring up at the vaulted ceiling. Having heard his entrance, she tilted her head in his direction, spotting him immediately. Her eyes widened a bit before her brows knitted together in confusion.

Mentally cursing himself, Scorpius made his way over to her, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. He had already been caught so he might as well continue with his original intentions. She appeared to be more than fine, even better than earlier. Despite maybe having a bit of bed head, she seemed well rested and no worse for wear. He was not sure if he was relieved that she was okay or annoyed that he had been worried that she wasn't. His train of thought was broken by her soft voice.

"Are you going to stare at me all day?" she asked, more than a little confused.

"Maybe," he retorted without even thinking about it. He blinked a few times as he tried to gather himself. A smirk slid on to his face, as though he had intended what he said.

"Oh really? You come here often to pick up girls?" she asked drolly as she rolled her eyes. That succeeded in taking the smirk off of his face.

"Not particularly," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. All of a sudden he felt very nervous which was highly uncharacteristic of him. There was a moment of silence between the two of them, which was awkward to say the very least.

"So… why are you here?" Rose finally asked, wanting answers. Scorpius didn't answer for another moment but he knew that it would be pointless to lie. She would see right through it immediately.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," he mumbled, barely audible. Rose had to strain to hear him but she was not even sure that she heard him correctly. Why would Scorpius Malfoy visit her just to make sure she was okay? Perhaps she had more mental damage than she had anticipated.

"I'm fine…" she said slowly and cautiously as she sat up. There was another moment of awkward silence between the two of them.

"That's good," Scorpius said lamely, cursing himself for being so off kilter. Apparently, Rose found this to be amusing for the next thing he knew, her melodic laugh surrounded him. This eased the tension and he cracked a small smile.

"You're a hard man to figure out, Scorpius," she said gently as she shook her head. Scorpius was surprised to find how much he enjoyed hearing Rose say his name. Her voice was gentle and sweet when she wasn't cursing him. Once more he shrugged.

"Just kinda who I am," he said simply. Yet again, there was more silence, but this time Scorpius was trying to come up with a good enough excuse to stay. Unfortunately, he couldn't find one and simply staying just because he wanted to was not good enough.

"So, I guess we're even now," he finally said after a long while. The smile on Rose's face disappeared almost instantly as she nodded slowly.

"Guess so," she responded quietly, almost sadly. This confused Scorpius because why would she be sad that they would no longer be associating with one another? It was not as though the two of them had ever even been close to being friends. It was only in the last few days that things had changed. It was hard to reverse years of animosity.

Not wishing to dwell on it any further, Scorpius nodded affirmatively before taking his leave, trying to get away as fast as possible before he changed his mind. There was something nagging and pulling at him, telling him to return to her but he made the decision to deny that feeling as much as possible.

As soon as Scorpius was out of sight, Rose sighed heavily and flopped back on the bed. So he had only saved her so that he would no longer be indebted to her. She was so overwhelmed by disappointment it almost made her depressed. Why would he have come to see her if all he was concerned about was removing his debt? It made no sense and she simply concluded that he was an absolute enigma. This, however, did not change the possibility that they could at least be nice to one another.

Feeling anxious, Rose climbed out of bed. She needed to do something that made her feel normal and more like herself. Seeing as how she missed most of her day, she went about gathering notes for the day before holing up in the library to catch up on her work. Time had absolutely escaped her. She had been pulled from her trance like state when Albus shook her shoulders.

"I had a feeling you were here," he said as he stood next to her. Rose blinked a few times as she tried to gather what was going on. Looking around, she could see the orange light filtering into the room, indicating that the sun was setting and that it would soon be time for dinner. Slowly, she looked over to Albus before frowning.

"What do you mean?" she inquired. Albus shook his head, laughing slightly.

"Hugo went to get you from the Hospital Wing to escort you to the Great Hall but you weren't there. I told him that you had probably disappeared to the library. You're a bookworm who had missed her classes. This was the only logical place," he explained.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that," she said with a sheepish grin as she began packing up her stuff. Her mind felt as though it was all over the place. She felt bad for essentially standing up Hugo.

"You know, if it were me, I would be trying to get out of school work for the next week with the kind of ordeal that you went through," he said with a grin. Rose rolled her eyes at him but her smile never left her face.

"I know and that's why I'm not you," she teased as she got up, throwing her bag over her shoulder. She had barely ate breakfast this morning and lunch felt like it had been so long ago, so she was more than a little hungry.

The pair headed to the Great Hall, chatting amicably about random things. Rose mentally sighed of relief as she began to feel normal once more. The event with the stairs seemed so far away and already she felt herself mostly over it. She was alive and well so dwelling on it was not going to get her anywhere. However, Scorpius still plagued her mind and that was frustrating. Of course she could not speak of such things to either her brother or Albus. The two still wanted to kill him despite what had happened. Rose paused mid conversation as she thought of something.

"Do my parents know what happened?" she inquired as she looked over at Albus. He paused as he realized that she had changed topics entirely.

"Um, yeah. Hugo wrote them a letter. Said that he would be in massive trouble if they found out somehow and it wasn't because of him. Sorry," he replied with an apologetic smile. Rose groaned as she ran her hand over her face. While her mother would be concerned, her father had a tendency to go overboard with his overprotectiveness.

"The Howler that would have come might have been better," she mumbled as they finally reached the hall. Sighing dreadfully, Rose plopped down at the table next to Lily and began filling her plate.

"Rough day, huh?" Lily said with a smile, knowing very well that Rose had one hell of a day.

"You could most certainly say that. I'm waiting for the ten foot long letter that's going to come from my father. I feel bad for the owl that has to carry it," she said as she shook her head disdainfully. This elicited a laugh from Lily as she reached over to rub her cousin's back.

"Maybe it will only be six feet." Rose shared in her laughed before digging into her dinner. It was a good five minutes before she could speak again, having felt so ravenous.

"So, what's new with you?" Rose asked, having felt like she had not really spoken to the girl in a while. Lily pushed around the food on her plate with her fork. It took her a good moment before she responded.

"Well…Lysander Scamander asked me out on a date," she said quietly, as though she didn't want anyone to hear. Rose's eyes widened before she cracked a wide smile.

"That's so great! What did you say?" she asked excitedly in a loud whisper. Lily shushed her, placing her hand over her cousin's mouth.

"Be quiet! If they hear you, I won't hear the end of it," she said quickly. It had been almost impossible for her to have any sort of dating experience between her two older brothers and Hugo. James was out of school now but she still had the other two to worry about. They were unnecessarily protective over her and it was frustrating.

"What's going on?" Albus asked, having heard and seen the girls acting strange. Both Rose and Lily cringed at having been caught.

"Nothing that you need to know about. It's girl stuff," Rose responded quickly, giving Albus a menacing look. He held his hands up in defense.

"Given the fact that I would like all parts of my anatomy to remain where they are currently, I will say nothing more," he said after having seen the look on Rose's face. Lily giggled softly at her brother's antics. Once she was sure that Albus wasn't going to bother them further, she responded to Rose's question.

"I said yes for when we have our first Hogsmeade visit but it's just a date. Nothing more right now," she explained. Rose simply smiled knowingly at the younger girl. She knew that they would become an item later.

"Oh I am so happy for you," she said quietly still. Lily was smiling from ear to ear and then began to eat her dinner with more vigor. It seemed like she had wanted to get that off of her chest.

A few moments later and Rose had completely finished her dinner, feeling satiated and full. She still had a bit before detention so she wanted to finish up the last bit of her homework in the library. Standing up, she said her farewells before making her way out of the hall. She didn't get very far before nearly running into Scorpius and his group who seemed to have the same idea of leaving.

"Get out of the way, Weasley," one of his goons demanded. There were three boys flanking Scorpius who stood at the front of the group. He said nothing in regards to his friend but Rose locked gazes with him for a brief moment. Something in his eyes demonstrated that he wanted to say something but he refrained from it. He wanted to defend her but wouldn't.

"Ever heard of ladies first?" she growled as she went to move around him. The second boy wouldn't let her pass.

"There needs to be a lady first," he retorted, gaining a laugh from his friend, Scorpius included. Rose couldn't believe the audacity.

"Oh I'm sorry, guess I should have let you passed first. You're far more womanly than I," she sneered, causing the second boy to glare irritably at her.

"You're an insufferable bitch," the third boy jeered, gaining another favorable response from his gang. Rose rolled her eyes at the whole group's immaturity and lack of imagination.

"So this is how you wish to be represented, huh? That you mistreat women like this," she said, looking directly at Scorpius. There was no excuse for his behavior and she was absolutely exhausted with his bipolar tendancies. It was giving her mental whiplash.

"I don't have to answer to anyone, let alone someone like you," he responded, the familiarity disappearing from his eyes. He was back to the Scorpius Malfoy that he had always been. The one that had always treated her cruelly. So he had only been concerned about returning the debt. God forbid that a Malfoy had to be indebted to a Weasley.

"And just what does that mean?" she growled, daring him to say it. Malfoy didn't even skip a beat.

"Someone lowly like you. Lesser than a Malfoy. A _mudblood_ ," he uttered, complete with the Malfoy sneer.

Rose felt like time had stood still. She couldn't believe that he had gone to such extremes. It was not the first time he had called her that but it hurt more this time than any time before. She could not believe that she had been foolish enough to believe that things were changing between the two of them. This was about as polar opposite as he could get. He was deliberately being cruel.

Clenching her fist, it took every ounce of will power to keep from smashing his face in. Rage filled her entire being but she knew that she could not explode. She was still serving detention as it was and the last thing she wanted was to extend it.

"Real inventive Malfoy, like you haven't used that one before," she said with a coolness that she most certainly did not feel but he didn't need to know that. Having had enough of this confrontation, she shoved past the group, taking special care to elbow Malfoy in the ribs.

Scorpius rubbed his side briefly, Rose having jabbed him pretty hard. He felt pretty lousy to be honest. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her and he knew that he did. She did her best to hide it, but he had seen tears in the corner of her eyes as she pushed through the group. It cut him deeper than he thought it would but he needed to uphold his reputation.

The Malfoy reputation was sacred to his family and they would never allow for him to be involved with a Weasley. Granted, the reputation of the Weasleys had changed since his father was a child but it was still inexcusable. His father would disown him in a heartbeat if there was any further involvement.

Keeping his smirk in place, he left the hall with his friends before making an excuse to ditch them. He felt like being alone. His plan had worked; to make Rose hate him once more. She had been too comfortable with him and while he hated to admit that he enjoyed it, it was forbidden. If she hated him once more, then she would feel less inclined to be around him and it was what they both needed.

Detention came around once more and Rose found herself dreading it even more than the night before. What was wrong with her? Honestly, she was acting like she was heartbroken or something. There was absolutely nothing between her and Malfoy. The same animosity had returned and the only reason why he had been nice to her was because he owed her a debt. Now that was cleared and everything was normal. Why did she even care so much to begin with? What benefit could she possibly have with being close to a Malfoy? Her head was swimming with thoughts that just refused to leave her alone.

Somewhere, maybe not too deep, she knew that Scorpius could be a good person. He was different than everyone else in his family. Yes, he had been nothing but cruel to her, but he had known nothing else. That was how he was supposed to act but when he began acting on his own accord, she could see that he was his own person and that person was not cruel.

Though, he had it made it perfectly clear that he wanted nothing to do with her. He did not want to explore that part of himself because his reputation meant much more. It was like he was a puppet and cutting his strings was too frightening. Why did she want to be involved with someone like that?

Shaking her head, she stepped into the classroom that detention was being held in. Hugo was already there before her as she had been working in the library up until the last moment. The two Slytherins who were supposed to be there, were not however. Thinking of her encounter with Malfoy earlier had her temper mounting once more.

Grumbling incoherently under her breath, she dropped her bag down on a desk and sat down. It was a few desks over from her brother, seeing as how the professor had forbidden them from sitting with one another. Just seconds before the professor walked in, Malfoy and his friend sauntered in, acting like they owned the place. Rose did her absolute best to ignore him, even when she could feel his gaze boring into the side of her head. Out of her peripheral view, she could see that he was smirking. He was silently egging her on.

Before the professor noticed, Rose mumbled a spell quietly while quickly and inconspicuously flicking her wand. The chair that Malfoy had been sitting on, slid out from under him suddenly, forcing him to land on his arse on the floor, banging his chin on his desk on the way down. Hugo burst out laughing while Rose tried to hide her own snickering. Yes, it was terrible of her but she could not resist. Malfoy had tons to pay for.

"Clumsy today, Mr. Malfoy?" the professor inquired before glaring at Rose and Hugo, silencing them immediately. Scorpius growled irritably as he righted himself and massaged his jaw. The sudden force had caused him to bite his tongue.

"Bitch," he mumbled under his breath, his gaze sliding pointedly over to Rose. Hugo nearly jumped out his seat but a glare from his sister kept him rooted. The room was stiflingly thick with tension.

The professor sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index finger. This time she assigned each student with a different task. Rose had been given the task of packaging and storing the ingredients that had been collected the night before. The rest of the boys had been sent out of the room to perform individual tasks. Rose could not have been more thankful for the time alone.

Rose worked quietly and diligently, finding true joy in what she was doing. As an aspiring Potions Master, she was well aware of each ingredient and how to properly store and package each one without referencing a book. Herbology was one of her greatest strengths because she wanted to be as knowledgeable as possible about each ingredient used in any given potion. She was able to finish her task rather quickly because of how proficient she was.

"Come here, Miss Weasley," the professor commanded in a soft tone. Rose was taken aback by her gentle calling and she nodded as she approached her desk.

"Yes, Professor?" she asked, feeling nervous. Did she do something wrong? She didn't think that she had.

"The rest of your detention has been revoked. After tonight you will no longer have to come here. Your brother, however, is another story," she replied, leaving it at that. Rose was so ecstatic to no longer have to come to detention that she didn't question as to why she was being released.

"Thank you, professor!" she exclaimed gleefully, unable to contain herself. The professor winced at the sudden loud noise that was produced by the girl in front of her.

"Yes, yes, you're welcome. Now clean up your area and get out of here," she said, a hint of smile on her lips. Rose wasted no time in doing this. She was only too happy to be on her way, never to return to detention again. She did feel sorry for her brother, but detention didn't bother him. Unfortunately, he seemed used to it.

Rose made her way over to the Trophy Room where she knew that Hugo was performing his detention task. He'd been given the task of polishing and dusting everything in the room without the use of magic. It was unbelievably tedious and most certainly something that would be given as a detention punishment. As she approached the room, she could hear shouting within.

"Snot nosed brat!"

"Spoiled arsehole!"

Rose frowned as she heard the voices of Hugo and Malfoy going at each other. The onslaught of insults continued for a few moments until they realized that she was there. She furrowed her brows as she tried to figure out just why Malfoy was there. The professor had sent him on some other errand, she was sure.

"What's going on?" she inquired, directing her gaze at her brother and refusing to look at Malfoy. Her brother was seething, his face tinted red.

"This bastard won't leave me the hell alone. He's not even supposed to be in here. He just decided to stop on his way back to pick a fight," he growled, his fists clenched at his sides. He was about two seconds away from jumping the prat. Finally, Rose looked over at Malfoy, her expression that of supreme annoyance.

"Can't just spend your detention quietly? Have to pick a fight with everyone around you?" she asked rhetorically, not really wanting a response.

For a moment, Scorpius did not respond. He had stupidly stopped to ask Hugo how Rose was doing but thought better of it at the last moment. Unfortunately, the Weasley boy had seen him before he could leave. Unable to divulge the real reason why he was there, he did what he always did and picked a fight.

"I don't owe an explanation to either one of you Weasleys, so bugger off," he said irritably before walking away. Rose sighed heavily, tired of the old games already.

"You too didn't get into a physical fight, did you?" she asked her brother, briefly looking him over. He smacked her hands away and ruffled his hair that she had tried to smooth down.

"No, I'm fine, _Mom_ ," he grumbled before going back to his task at hand.

Rose decided to sit down nearby and keep him company. She would get into trouble if she actually helped him so this would have to suffice for now. Hugo didn't seem to mind but she knew that he would not admit that. He always tried to act tougher than he was when he was around her. Despite being younger, he always felt the need to be the stronger, protective one. Rose had a feeling that her father had something to do with that mentality.

It was well into the night before Hugo had finished his task. Both of them were extremely tired as they headed to their common rooms. Once Rose reached hers, she bid Hugo a goodnight before tiredly mumbling the answer to the riddle and stepping inside. Due to how late it was, there was absolutely no one sitting in the common room, not even the normal night owls. Rose frowned as she checked the time. She would have to be up for classes in a couple of hours.

Sighing, she drug herself over to her dorm and dressed down for bed. It bothered her sleep deprived mind that Malfoy had been bothering her brother. Recalling the task that had been set out for him, she frowned as she realized that he would have had to go out of his way specifically to start a fight with Hugo. While it didn't seem that farfetched of an action for Malfoy to perform, she wondered why he even bothered.

Quietly growling, she didn't understand why she attempted to make sense of the Slytherin boy. There was no making sense of him and if the last few days had proven anything, it was that he was as bipolar as they came. She felt silly for having ever entertained the idea of a truce or civil relationships.

Wishing to no longer think of him, she climbed into bed and prepared to go to sleep. Things had finally returned to their normal craziness and while she knew she should have been thrilled at that, it bothered her. She needed to eradicate that feeling. This was her final year to get everything in order and pursue her dreams. No stupid boy with a nasty attitude and a body to die for was going to mess that up.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **A/N: Sorry about the late update. I work a full time job and have a seven month old baby boy. Then the holidays happened. It's been a while since I have written a fanfic so take it easy on me ^^;; Also, I am terrible at going back and editing what I have written so I am aware that there will be grammatical errors and whatnot. Try not to focus too hard on that, kay?**

 **I also want to thank everyone who has reviewed so far. I really appreciate it. I started writing this story for a friend of mine because she loves the pairing but I thought I would share it with all of you. Please keep reading and reviewing, I will do my best to update as frequently as life will allow me.**

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 6*~**

A month came and went practically without a warning. Before long, the two other competing schools were scheduled to arrive at Hogwarts. Rose woke up that morning feeling no different than she did any other day. Things had seemingly returned to how they were supposed to be. Since she had been released from her detention sentence, she hardly ever ran into Malfoy. On the occasion that she did, he had returned to his snarky, ill-natured attitude towards her, as though they had never saved one another.

It had appeared that their constant running into one another for the first couple of days of school had been a fluke in the system known as life. They had each repaid their debts to one another for saving the other's life. It had hurt Rose more than she would have liked that the only reason for Malfoy's temporary change in nature was because he was indebted to her.

For some reason that she was afraid to dwell on, she liked the idea of them possibly having some sort of civility towards one another. Despite her being a hot head from time to time, she really was not overly fond of getting into fights. Hugo and Albus seemed to enjoy scrapping but she just wanted things to proceed smoothly. Besides, she was convinced that Malfoy's treatment of her and her family was because of the feud between their families. If he wasn't so concerned about his reputation, she had a feeling that he might not hate her for being her.

Once more she hated that she had even cared what he thought of her. The only rational reason she could come up with was that she saw a different side to him. A side that could be thoughtful and caring if he would only let it show more. There was something… attractive about him like that. The fact that she could use attractive and Malfoy in the same sentence had her wondering if maybe she had gone mental like Albus and her brother had constantly accused her of.

Okay, so maybe things weren't quite like how they used to be. While Malfoy and she acted how they normally did to one another, Rose was constantly plagued by her thoughts and doubts. Maybe one day Malfoy would grow up and realize that the world was more than just reputations and money. She was hopeful but she was not going to hold her breath.

Running her hands across her face, she lightly pinched her cheeks to wake herself up faster. She had been up late working on homework and studying as was the norm for her. However, time had slipped away much more quickly than she had intended. She would constantly forget about the Triwizard Tournament approaching and because of this it did not even occur to her that the following morning was the fateful day. After all, her schooling was much more important. She had only entered because her cousin had decided to be an idiot in efforts of gaining fame and glory through a death competition.

Rolling her eyes as she recalled this, she slid out of bed and dressed for the day. Honestly, she was concerned for Albus. His constant need to stand out from his father's legacy was going to get him killed one day. One moment he was nearly sick with anxiety about the tournament and the next he was bound and determined to enter. She was not sure what was going through his head and considering how close the two of them were, that spoke volumes. Perhaps she wasn't the only one who was going mental.

After attempting to brush her bushy mane into submission, she finally determined that she was dressed appropriately enough to head down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Sure enough, Hugo and Albus were already there tearing through breakfast as though finishing the food faster would make the day speed up. Even Hugo seemed excited about the tournament and she hadn't heard him speak one word of it yet.

"You're going to give yourself a stomach ache," she chided as she sat beside her cousin. He was about to retort but one death look from Rose and he kept his mouth shut. She hated it when he didn't use his table manners and speaking with his mouth full was at the top of her list. Swallowing heavily, he began choking and sputtering as he hadn't chewed his food thoroughly enough.

Rose rolled her eyes and began thumping on his back heavily until the food moved down his throat. Albus reached for his goblet of juice and downed it before gasping for air. He clutched as his chest as he took deep, exaggerated breaths.

"Are you quite finished?" Rose asked drolly as she began placing food on her plate. Albus was so dramatic sometimes. Hugo sniggered a bit until she shot him a look as well. Honestly, those two were just as bad together as Albus and James were. Granted those two fought with each other more than anything else.

"Hey, I could have almost died," he whined before slowly taking another bite of his food.

"Some champion you would make if you were bested by toast and eggs," she teased, laughing a bit at his misfortune. Albus sighed before shaking his head.

"Well I guess that's why you're going to have to be a champion as well. To save me from the toast and eggs just as you did," he said with an unabashed smile. If Rose rolled her eyes any more they would be in the back of her head.

"Tonight we will be finding out just who the champions are. The schools aren't scheduled to arrive until dinner time. So we still have classes to attend," she said as she began eating.

"Didn't you hear?" a soft voice said excitedly next to Rose. Looking over, she noticed that it was Lily and she offered the younger girl a smile before looking confused.

"Hear what?"

"They cancelled classes for the day so that everyone can prepare for the schools coming in."

"Wait… what?" Rose groaned. She didn't like it when classes got cancelled. It was very rare when it happened but she hated it when they did. Last night she had caught up on everything and then some so she had no idea what she was going to do with her time. Maybe she would get some flying in.

"You are the only person that I know of who is actually upset they are not attending class," Albus said, his eyes wide with surprise though he was not sure why he was even surprised any more.

"Yeah well… I enjoy learning and I still have so much to learn before I can become a Potions Master," she said defensively as she continued eating her breakfast.

"Stop picking on her," Lily demanded as she threw a piece of toast at her brother, laughing victoriously as it landed butter side down against his face. It didn't stick but it left a greasy mark that only caused her giggle further. Albus' eyes grew wide at the audacity of his sister. Both Hugo and Rose had joined in the laughter and he shot Hugo a glare.

"Thanks mate. Way to be a pal," he grumbled before smirking deviously. He spooned a generous helping of marmalade on his spoon and flung it at his sister. Lily was much too fast for her brother as she dodged it. However the person passing behind her was not so lucky.

"What the hell?! Who the fuck is responsible for this?" an angry voice bellowed. Lily instantly hid her head, despite it not being her fault technically. A very angry Scorpius Malfoy happened to be the passerby victim. Rose knew this was not going to end well at all. He was beyond pissed. The marmalade had splattered his robes and went so far up as to stick in his immaculate hair.

Albus, lacking the common sense to keep his mouth shut, made a whooping noise indicating his victory. While it was not his intended target, it was even better than he had hoped. Any chance that he had to cause Malfoy even a little bit of misery he took it. Especially considering what he had been putting Rose through.

"Potter!" he growled through clenched teeth as he drew his wand, ready to hex him into next week. Rose stood up quickly and stood between the two. The last thing she wanted was for anyone else to suffer injuries or worse detention.

"Come on, knock it off you two," she cried exasperatedly. Honestly, it felt like she was surrounded by children all of the time. If she didn't have Lily to talk to she might actually lose her mind.

"Back down Weasley. I won't hesitate to hex you too," he growled still. Rose faultered ever so slightly but covered it up immediately.

"Despite the fact that I have done absolutely nothing to you?" she demanded, her voice losing some of the edge that she had been hoping for. Why was she hesitating? Of course he would hex her just for standing up for her cousin. She was pretty sure that was part of how she gained detention about a month ago.

Scorpius glared daggers at her but there was something holding him back from being as nasty as he normally was capable of. His wand was still raised and aimed at Potter but she was still in the way. He wanted her to move but she was absolutely refusing to do such.

Growling irritably, he reached out and grabbed the front of her robes and pulled her towards him until she was pressed against his front. Aiming over her shoulder, he shot a stunning spell at Potter who took it full on due to his surprise at Malfoy's actions.

Rose could barely comprehend what was happening. Too much was abnormal about this scenario. Malfoy never spared her in duels like this and even if he was going to do that, why did he pull her to him and not shove her away entirely? Her breath hitched as she realized just how close she was to him and the fact that his other arm had not released her. It was securely wrapped around her lower back. For a moment she could not breathe and her mouth had suddenly gone very dry.

Hugo jumped up from his seat when he noticed things had gone very wrong and that Malfoy still had his sister. He also withdrew his wand and it pointed it at the older male. Lily had moved to get out of the crossfires and to check up on her older brother, whom was sprawled on the floor a few feet away. Fire snapped in Hugo's eyes as he glared daggers at Malfoy.

"Let go of my sister!" he growled, ready to return the favor and hex him but he was concern. He was not quite as adept at spell casting and the last thing he wanted to do was to hit his sister instead.

It was at this moment that Scorpius realized the compromising situation he had caused. It had been his intention to remove Rose from the duel this time and he was not entirely sure why. While he still could not stand the other Weasley and Potter, Rose didn't have anything to do with it. The younger Potter was even spared from his wrath but he normally didn't subject her to it anyway.

Looking down at the woman in his arms, he swallowed hard as he realized just how good she felt there. Her breasts were pressed firmly against his chest as he held her close, almost protectively. Her red bushy hair was tickling the underside of his jaw and cheek as he realized that she was only a few inches shorter than himself. Instead of shoving her out of the way, instinctively he pulled her to him. He tried to mentally justify it by reasoning it was to keep her from rushing back out into the fight if she was physically being held down.

Unsure of how he was going to get himself out of this situation while still maintaining his composure, he smirked down at Rose before looking to her younger brother who looked beside himself with worry and anger.

"Well, well, well. Looks like I have acquired myself a hostage. I suggest you lower that wand unless you really think you have the skill to hit me and not her," he said with a sneer. Yes, he would make this seem as though this was what he had really planned from the beginning. That would have to work and it did seem in character for him. However, what was not in character was the woman in his arms. She was normally a firecracker who fought tooth and nail against him. Right now she was being abnormally quiet, almost stunned and for a brief moment he felt a hint of concern.

"You are such a bastard!" Hugo growled through gritted teeth as he slowly lowered his wand. He really was no match for him like this. Finally, Rose seemed to snap out of her daze and shoved Malfoy as hard as she could against his chest, succeeding in pushing him away from her.

"That was low, even for you, Malfoy," she snapped as she drew her own wand and pointed it at him. For a flash of a second, she saw concern and hurt in those grey eyes of his before they returned to being condescending. She was beyond confused at the moment and was forced to lower her wand. The last thing she wanted was detention again. The professors were going to be especially on edge for the day because of the schools arriving and they wanted all of the students to be on their best behavior. In fact, it was strange that no one had stopped them yet.

"You didn't seem to mind," he said with a smirk which only caused her cheeks to redden. He found this sight to be rather attractive on her but before he could contemplate anything, he felt himself sliding across the floor a few feet, his chest on fire.

Groaning, he sat up on his elbows and tried to gather what had happened. Rose had moved away far enough to where the other Weasley had managed to land a spell on him. The boy was angry and satisfied all at once that he had been able to disarm him and was now talking to his sister. Glaring as he stood up, Scorpius straightened himself out before turning on his heel and leaving the hall. He needed to clean up and get himself back together in more ways than one.

"Hugo!" Rose yelled as she smacked her brother across the back of his head. She couldn't believe that he had hexed Malfoy. Okay, so it really wasn't that unbelievable but she had hoped that he would be the bigger man and not carry the duel on further. Hugo didn't appear unabashed in the least as he went over to Lily and Albus to make sure he was okay.

Rose sighed heavily as she looked off in the direction that Malfoy had left in. What had just happened? She was not even sure and honestly, she had a feeling that not even he knew. Looking down at herself, she wrinkled her nose in distaste as she realized that the marmalade that had splattered Malfoy just a few moments ago was all over her uniform because she had been pressed against him. Recalling how it felt to be pressed against him, another blush formed across her cheeks. Why did she find that so appealing? There was no way she was finding herself attracted to him.

"What the hell just happened?" Albus asked as he finally composed himself.

"You were hexed," Lily explained as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. It kinda was.

"Yeah I gathered that much," he said with a roll of his eyes. "I mean what the hell was up with Malfoy? What was that all about? Since when did he care whether Rose was involved?"

"He didn't care," Rose said weakly, knowing just how stupid that sounded. It was blatantly obvious that something was up. Albus narrowed his eyes and marched over to his cousin, gripping her shoulders in his hands firmly.

"Is there something going on between you two? Are you…. _involved?_ " he accused. Rose was shocked by the accusation before her own eyes narrowed in irritation. She removed his hands from her shoulders and took a step back.

"For your information that would be none of your business even if there was. You cannot determine who I am allowed to be interested in," she growled. Albus was taken aback by her response. She was acting different too.

"So there is something!" he started in once more until Rose rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Merlin…." She breathed before shaking her head. "No Al, there is nothing going on but you need to relax. Don't you think I would tell you regardless of your hot-headedness?" This earned a small smile from Albus to which she returned. They were best friends after all.

"Okay…. I trust you but please don't let anything happen. He can't be trusted and that's only part of it. I'm pretty sure your father would explode," he said with a shudder. Her father wasn't known for being the most reasonable at times. Rose said nothing more to the conversation, wanting to change the subject desperately.

"So, seeing as how all our classes are cancelled for the day, let's all hang out for once," Lily suggested with a bright smile. This was received favorably by the rest of their group. They decided that they would gather up a few more of their friends and have a friendly Quidditch match.

The match lasted well into lunch. Soon they were unable to play due to the growling in their stomachs. They decided to have lunch on the lawn in front of the lake. Partway through, Albus and Hugo decided to have a duel of their own and began flinging spells at one another. They were mostly harmless. A few jelly-legs and other spells of that nature. Rose frowned as she watched them.

"Both of you need to work on your form. Have you guys practiced anything at all over the last six years?" she chastised. Hugo and Albus looked at one another before bursting into laughter. It was so typical of Rose to critique everything. Granted, she knew what she was talking about and she was definitely number one in their class but it was amusing that she couldn't turn it off ever.

"You sound like mom," Hugo said with a big grin before sending another spell Albus' way, to which he quickly blocked. Rose sighed as she leaned back and continued to watch the two. Lily jumped up and switched out with Albus after a while and dueled Hugo. She was much more skilled than her cousin and had easily won the duel within moments.

"See… at least Lily is learning something," Rose mumbled before biting into a sandwich that she had brought with her from the Great Hall. Their duels only lasted through lunch before Rose started to go a bit stir crazy. She actually began fidgeting where she sat as she looked around appearing bored.

"Uh-oh, I think someone is going through withdrawal," teased Albus as he draped his arm across her shoulders and grinned widely at her. "wanna go study or something?" Rose flushed in response which only made Albus' smile widen further.

"The dungeons are going to be empty right now and I wanted to work on a few potions," she mumbled. She was proud of who she was and what she loved to do, but sometimes it was embarrassing that she could only allow herself so much fun before she felt like she was slacking.

"Alright, get out of here. We will see you at dinner" Albus said as the others agreed with him. Rose stood up and sped off so fast she practically left streak marks. He shook his head a bit before laughing. She was going to do great things, he just knew it.

Rose slowed her pace when she finally reached the castle. She was slightly out of breath as she headed down into the dungeons. Sure enough it was as empty as she thought it was going to be. Due to the dungeons being underground it was hard to tell what time it was for no lights filtered in. It was always dark and damp. There was still a bit of unease that settled in her stomach whenever she came down here ever since her encounter on the first night. Despite that having been the only encounter, she could not shake the feeling.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she reached the Potions without any issue. Furrowing her brow, she noticed a distinct smell coming from the room which meant that someone was brewing a potion. She knew that it could not have been the professor because he did not have any classes to prepare for. Who else would be down here when there were no classes?

Sliding inside the room, she didn't see anyone at first. There was a cauldron at the far side of the room that appeared to have some sort of fog slipping out of it which seemed to be the norm with a lot of potions. It had to do with the rapidly changing temperatures and chemical reactions to different ingredients mixing. Approaching it, at first she could not see anything but the bottom of the cauldron. It was then that she realized it was a clear liquid. Looking down at the book that was open on the table, she frowned when she discovered what it was.

"Veritaserum…" she mumbled quietly to herself. The potion still had an odor to it so it definitely was not finished yet but it looked like it was coming along nicely. It also had her wondering who was creating the potion. Obviously it was someone with great skill but why was it being made?

Rose heard clamoring in the store room nearby and realized that she was not alone. It didn't take long before she found out who she was sharing the room with. With several ingredients in hand, Malfoy stepped out of the store room. A startled noise escaped him when he realized that he was not alone and he almost dropped what he was carrying. His eyes narrowed as he tried to will away the light blush that was dusting his cheeks at having been caught off guard.

"What the hell are you doing in here, Weasley?" he demanded as he went over to his table. Rose was just as surprised as he was. He was the last person she had expected in an empty Potions classroom and making a potion no less.

"I could ask you the same thing, Malfoy."

"What are you blind? What the hell does it look like I'm doing?"

"Such language. Do you always speak to women this way?"

"Only the really fucking annoying ones," he growled, wishing that she would just leave him alone. Rose placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. While it was not unusual for him to speak to her like that, she was getting really sick of it.

"I can see that you are making a potion but why are you making Veritaserum?" she inquired further, her curiosity winning out over her irritation.

Scorpius said nothing to her onslaught of questions. He was still trying to recover over the fact that she had practically scared him half to death. The room had been quiet for the last hour and he not expected anyone to make themselves present, which was why he was even there in the first place. All day he had been looking for a distraction from Rose. He couldn't get the image or the sensation out of his head of having her pressed so securely in his arms. It was driving him up the wall. Now, the person plaguing his thoughts was standing right in front of him. Great…. Just great.

"Hello?" Rose called out as she began waving her hand in front of his face. He seemed to have tuned her out for a moment which was no surprise but she wanted answers. Irritably he smacked her hand away from him.

"Cut that out. I don't have to tell you a damn thing," he said gruffly as he tried to go back to what he was doing. It was indeed a potion that required being extremely adept at potions and that was why he was making it. He was practicing his skills as well. It just bothered him that she of all people had caught him. Malfoy was right below her, placing second in their class.

Rose was just as annoyed that he wasn't telling her as to why he was making the potion. People didn't just create a truth serum just because they could. Considering that this was Malfoy, she wondered if she should be worried that he possessed such a thing. Well, in theory he possessed it. He could, after all, botch up the potion entirely. She said nothing for a moment as she watched him work, which only seemed to annoy him further.

"Can I bloody help you?" he asked irritably as he looked up from his book and directly into her blue eyes. This finally caught her off guard and she blushed slightly.

"Um… the potion's looking really good. You're doing really well," she finally said, very quietly. This succeeded in deflating Scorpius' irritation just a bit. Now he just felt awkward. He had not been expecting a compliment from her.

"…..Thanks…." he mumbled just as quietly before he went back to work. Rose composed herself and set up her cauldron on the far side of the room. She produced a small notebook from her pocket with various potions that she wanted to work on before she went into the storeroom to gather ingredients. Despite having to share the room with Malfoy, she was not going to let it break her concentration.

Scorpius watched Rose from the corner of his eye as they both worked. He had almost been finished with the potion when she came in. Now it had to simmer. As he was cleaning up, he noticed that she had not broken her concentration once. Hell, he didn't even see her look up once except to check her notes and ingredients. The was the first time in the six years that they had potions together that he noticed there was a true passion behind her eyes for what she was doing. It was more than just being really good at everything. She really loved potions. It reminded him of the joy she demonstrated while flying.

He was amazed that she felt so deeply for such simple things. Everything seemed to disappear around her and it was only her and what she was working on. He wondered what it felt like to feel so deeply for something. It was fascinating and before he knew it, he had stopped what he was doing and was instead watching her. Rose must have felt him watching her for that was when she finally looked up.

Quickly and obviously, Scorpius looked away as he went about finishing cleaning up and checking on his potion. He hated that he had been caught staring but he couldn't help himself. Stealing another glance when he was sure that it was safe, he saw that there was a small smile on her soft, delicate lips.

Approximately an hour or so later and Rose was finished with the potion that she had been working on. Malfoy had been in and out of the room over the same amount of time as he waited for his own potion to finish. He seemed really awkward staying in the room with her which was another abnormality with him. Currently he was not in the room and she considered staying to see if he needed any help but she knew that was foolish. Stealing a peek at his potion, she could tell that he was successful and for some reason she felt proud of him. Shaking her head, she bottled her potion and cleaned up her work station.

Dinner was going to be starting in a little while but that still left her enough time to get cleaned up before then. Seeing as how she was Head Girl and they were going to be playing host to two schools, she needed to give a good first impression seeing as how she was most definitely going to be assisting in the hosting.

Stepping out of the classroom, she turned down one of the corridors and was surprised to find that there was a small group of three Slytherin males. Almost everyone would be at the Great Hall, bubbling with excitement at having the other schools joining them. The dungeon had been completely empty until this point. Grimacing, she moved quickly passed them. Slytherins were not known for taking kindly to having other houses in the dungeons. Classes were an exception but any time after that and they loved to make it difficult. It appeared this time was no different.

"Hey, isn't that Weasley?"

"Yeah, I think it is. What'cha doin' down here?"

"I think she's looking for some fun, don't'cha boys?" The group sniggered together. Rose did her best to ignore them but was unsuccessful as one of the males grabbed her wrist roughly. She had not even realized that they caught up to her so quickly. Her heart began racing as she snatched her hand away from him.

"Bugger off!" she snapped. Upon closer inspection she realized that she recognized this lot. They liked to flank Malfoy typically. Seeing as how he was in the dungeons working on a potion, she found it to be no real surprise that they were there now. They were probably waiting for him to escort them to the Great Hall. Malfoy's lackeys seemed incapable of anything without his instruction.

"Oh-ho-ho it would seem that Scorpius was right. She is a firecracker," the second male said as he reached out and pulled her back once more, this time by her waist.

"Let me the fuck go!" Rose snarled as she fought against him once more, succeeding in extracting herself but with much more force than she intended. He must have let her go knowing this for she fell back into the third male who did not hesitate to hold her against him.

"Look who has the mouth now? Which, now that I'm looking, doesn't seem that bad after all," she sneered as he leered down at her. Rose felt her heart stop for half a second as his face moved towards her. Screeching, she scratched at his face which caused him to release her immediately.

"Fucking bitch!" he growled as he touched his fingers to his face and saw that there was blood. This ignited his anger and he shoved her into the stone wall, pinning her body beneath his. The other two males laughed and egged him on. Rose did her best to struggle beneath him, trying to do anything to get him off of her. Her wand was tucked away and out of her reach. The guy was twice her size but that didn't stop her from trying to get him off of her.

"Hold still!" he demanded. He had the first and second male move to either side of her and hold down her arms so she was unable to struggle as much. Rose felt tears stinging her eyes at how hopeless the situation was becoming. She could barely move but that didn't stop her from trying. Of course there was no one in the corridor and even if there was, she wasn't sure that they would help. With nothing else to try, she let loose a loud, high pitched scream that disoriented the male in front of her for a moment.

"Help!" she screamed once more but was silenced immediately as she felt a pair of lips crash down on hers, brutalizing her into submission. The tears fell from her eyes as she attempted to bite the intruder but only succeeding in him hurting her more. He bit down and tugged on her lip to which she instantly began to taste metal. How was this happening to her?

Never did she stop struggling but it was honestly doing her no good. Her arms were pinned and because of his body being close to hers, she had been unable to move her legs to kick him. After brutalizing her lips to the point of where they were swollen, he replaced his mouth with his hand so that she would be unable to scream again.

Rose's eyes were filled with tears and wide with horror as she felt a certain part of his anatomy harden and pressed against her hip. Her vigor in trying to escape was ignited as fear began to wash over her body. She couldn't let this happen to her. She had to fight and get away. Once more she tried to bite him but was unsuccessful as he smacked her hard across the face with his other hand.

One of the other males took this opportunity with both her and her attacker distracted to slide his hand underneath her shirt and up to fondle her bra clad breast. A whimper escaped Rose as more tears fell. How was something like this able to happen? Where was a professor when she needed one? How could no one be monitoring the halls?

Her attacker, satisfied that she would not bite him again, still kept one hand over her mouth as he moved his knee in between her legs to keep her pinned down still. A shudder washed over her as his free hand began trailing up the inside of her thigh and beneath her skirt.

Rose wished that she was anywhere else but here. However, she could not let her mind go numb. She needed to stay alert and keep fighting. Her eyes shot open when he heard popping and tearing. The third male, who had just been holding down her arm, became frustrated with not being able to interact and tore open her shirt, the buttons popping off and clattering against the stone floor. She cursed that she had removed her sweater earlier because she had been lounging outside for lunch and it was warm. At least if she had been wearing it still it would have been more difficult for them.

Her attacker shifted once more and she heard the horrific sound of him undoing his belt and unzipping his trousers. Rose began fighting hard once more, not caring how badly she was hurt. She continued to scream, even with it being muffled by his hand, until her throat felt raw. Tears continued to spill down her cheeks.

"What the bloody hell are you fuckers doing?!" a voice bellowed, echoing off the stone walls. Rose never thought she would be happy to hear that voice in her entire life.

Scorpius had been disappointed to find that the Potions room was empty by the time he had returned. Rose had finished her potion and cleaned up to the point of where he never would have known there was another person in the room. Satisfied that his potion had turned out perfectly, he bottled it and stored it away for inspection by the professor. Maybe if he moved quickly enough he might catch a glimpse of the Weasley girl. His face scrunched up as his realized his thought and its implications.

What he had not been expecting, however, was the sight before him as he rounded the corner. It was clear that his so called friends had ensnared someone but what snapped his anger was who it was. While he knew that his goons weren't the most trustworthy of people, he had never seen them stoop to rape. It had to be because of who she was. They tailed him mostly and everyone in the school knew of their mutual hatred for each other. Hatred or not, this was never warranted. What surprised him further was how deep his anger ran. He wanted to kill each and every one of them.

"Oi, Malfoy. look who we found sneaking around down here. Want a turn?" the second male called out, not realizing just how pissed off Malfoy was. All of the males snickered once more, enjoying themselves.

Rose's eyes met with Scorpius', pleading for him to do something. She prayed and hoped that he truly wasn't anything like everyone accused him of. That his cruelty did not stoop to this level. They hated one another but she hoped that he was better than that. Seeing Rose's silent plea for help, broke Scorpius. He never wanted to see that look again. He never wanted to see her in the position he was bearing witness to.

Without another word, he took out his wand and hexed all three of them. He was precise, making sure that none of his spells missed their target. Each of the males crumpled to the floor, stunned and unable to move. Scorpius reached Rose in enough time to catch her as her knees gave way. Supporting her entirely, he moved her away from the unconscious bastards and knelt down with her.

The tears started flowing once more as Rose threw her arms around Scorpius and hugged him tightly, crying into his shoulder. Her whole body trembled as the realization of what nearly happened to her hit hard. Scorpius didn't even hesitate to wrap his arms around her as he allowed for her to cry. He could barely believe what had almost happened. What if he had not been down in the dungeons with her? Why was she even alone? Normally her entourage was practically glued to her side.

"Th-Thank…. you," she choked out as her sobs began to slow. Scorpius found himself gently petting her red hair as he found himself at a loss for words.

"Why the hell were you alone?" he demanded, cursing himself at how insensitive that sounded. He was terrible with situations like this. He wasn't good at comforting people and how was he supposed to comfort someone he was supposed to hate.

"I'm…. sorry," she mumbled, not even knowing what she was apologizing. He seemed mad at her and she didn't like that. He sighed heavily, annoyed.

"Don't apologize. I….ugh… no I'm sorry. These guys are bastards… I should have known… I mean… aw dammit," he grumbled, botching up his words horribly. He wasn't even making sense. How the hell could he have known this was going to happen? What was he going to do? Escort her out of the dungeons? Like she would have ever allowed that.

Rose was confused by Scorpius' awkwardness. This man was normally incredibly composed all of the time and now he didn't seem to know what to do or say. She might have found it endearing if she wasn't so traumatized right now. This was turning into one hell of a year and she wasn't not sure if she was going to be sane by the end of it.

Slowly Rose pulled away from Scorpius and he felt as though something had his heart in a death grip. She looked god awful. Her wild mane of a hair was messed up from struggling and was almost the same color as her face. Her eyes and face were red from the crying but what reignited his anger was how swollen and bruised her lips were. They were slightly cracked and he could see blood on the right corner. One of the bastards had clearly hit her because he could see a dark purple bruise forming underneath her eye, across her cheek. Her shirt had been torn open and her pale skin was revealed along with a black bra. If this was a different situation he might have gander a better look but this was beyond inappropriate.

He released her for just a moment in favor of shrugging off his robes and slipping the around her. For some reason she wasn't wearing hers which he found to be odd. Maybe she had disposed of it because she was going to be working with potions. Yeah, that made sense. Otherwise he knew she would be pristine because of the schools that were supposed to be arriving.

A warm feeling started in the center of his chest as he saw her gently grip the robes around her tightly to cover herself up. The fabric was obviously a bit big on her considering that he was much broader than she was. There was something sexy about the fact that she was wearing something of his.

Gently he reached over and with his thumb, wiped away the blood that had formed on the corner of her mouth. As his hand reached over, it broke his heart that she winced as though she was going to be hit again. It made him want to curse the bastards all over again. Once he had wiped the blood away, he allowed his hand to remain where it was, cupping her cheek gently.

Rose fought the tears that were threatening to form from the tenderness that he was displaying. She was not sure as to why he was being so nice but honestly, she was thankful for it right now. There appeared to be guilt in his eyes as though he felt responsible for what happened. While they may be his friends that he normally hung around, she didn't actually blame him personally. He was the one who saved her after all. A shiver coursed through her briefly from his touch and her face felt warm once more.

"Come on, let's get you back to your common room so that you can clean up. Dinner will be starting soon," he said gently as he helped her up and made sure that she was covered up. There was no way he was going to let her head back on her own. First of all, he wasn't even sure that she could walk on her own. Second of all, he didn't want to chance that she would be ambushed again.

Rose nodded slowly, in a daze, in response to his statement. Later she would process the fact that Scorpius was helping her once more and being much kinder than she had ever seen him. Thankfully, because everyone was in the Great Hall, they were able to make it to her common room without any encounters. She didn't want to have to explain to anyone as to why Malfoy was with her and what had happened to her. In fact, she didn't even want to think about explaining this to her brother and Albus.

"I'll wait here," he said to her once they reached the door. He wanted to make sure she was okay and that included making sure she got to dinner where he knew that her family would take care of her. Gently Rose reached up to bang the bronze knocker. A voice rang out with a riddle.

" _What gets broken without being held?_ "

"A promise," Scorpius answered before Rose could. She looked over at him with mild surprise as the door swung open, indicating that he had been correct. Stumbling through, Rose felt comforted by her surroundings. The common room always felt like a home away from home and it was very soothing, which was what she needed considering what she had just endured.

Rushing into her dormitory, she gathered a new uniform before quickly taking a shower. While she did her best to hurry, she felt the need to scrub every inch of her skin. She wanted to wash away the horror that had happened to her. While showering, she felt hot tears running down her face and mixing with the shower water. This was just too much and she was too confused. She knew that once all of this ended, things were going to go back to normal and Scorpius was going to be horrible to her again. It was something that she needed to accept but it was just so hard when she could see the good in him. A goodness he almost seemed afraid to acknowledge.

Taking a moment to compose herself, she took a deep breath and then finished her shower. Drying in front of a mirror, she grimaced as she saw how terrible she looked. Locating her wand, she instantly dried her hair with a spell before performing a basic glamor charm that would take the redness from her face, cover up the forming bruise, and reduce the look of swelling that her lips possessed.

Once she was satisfied, she dressed in her full uniform, making sure that she was wearing her sweater and her robes this time. Her Head Girl pin glimmered in the light and she slightly smirked. She would make sure that each and every one of them paid for what they did. Either by expulsion or other punishments, she would make sure they were aware that she was not someone to be messed with. She was stronger than what they had reduced her to in the corridor and she would not let them take that from her.

A moment longer and she was stepping outside of her common room and into the hall. True to his word, Scorpius had been waiting for her, leaning against a nearby wall coolly. He seemed distraught due to the fact that his hair looked mussed up as though he had been running his fingers through them. Looking over at her arrival, he was surprised to see that she looked as okay as she did. He was sure spells were involved but he could see that fire in her eyes again. For some reason, that made his heart feel lighter.

"You look better," he said with his signature smirk. She nodded in response and walked over to him.

"I'm getting there. Thanks again for what you did," she said softly but sincerely. Once more he looked awkward at being thanked as he looked away.

"Yeah, don't get used to it," he said gruffly which only earned a laugh from Rose. Looking over at her unexpected response, he arched a brow questioningly. She waved her hand dismissively as she began walking. It thrilled her that he began walking alongside her too. Despite his outward appearance, she knew that he had been worried and his gestures had been genuine. He was trying to hide that now but he wasn't fooling her.

Right before they reached the Great Hall's doors, Scorpius hung back which caused Rose to stop and look at him questioningly. Jamming his hands into his pockets he looked off as though he didn't have a care in the world.

"Aren't you coming?" she asked as she placed her hands on the doors. He frowned but said nothing for a moment. Rose opened her mouth to speak again but he cut her off.

"Not with you I'm not. Just go," he said roughly, earning an eye roll from Rose before she did just that, slipping into the hall.

Almost immediately she was ambushed by Albus who looked more than a little worried. Looking past him, she could see her brother gazing at them intensely. It had appeared that they were looking for her and had become concerned when they couldn't find her.

"Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you. They wanted the Head Boy and Girl to be here early to help with the welcoming," he said, looking distraught. It was not like Rose to be late for anything, even with her studying. She was normally extremely early just so that she was not late. Rose was about to explain when she saw Albus narrow his eyes as he looked past her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that Scorpius has slipped into the hall.

"Did he have something to do with it?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the other man. Rose sighed heavily as she grabbed Albus' arm and steered him away in the opposite direction of Malfoy.

"I'll explain later. I got held up in the dungeons," she said quickly before leading him away to where they were supposed to be.

As soon as the two of them were in place, the ceremony commenced. Each school and their headmaster were introduced as two groups of people filtered into the hall. Each school had approximately fifteen students who were going to be trying out for the title of Champion. If they weren't chosen, then they were to stay on to support their champions.

Each school had an elaborate entrance that Rose could only describe as each school being a show off. It was rather obnoxious and she could not hide her look of distaste. She heard Albus snicker quietly next to him. While he may be the one for dramatics she most certainly was not. It felt like an eternity later before all of the schools had finished their introductions and had entered their names into the Goblet.

After dinner was finished, the headmaster stood up in front of the hall and all of the students grew quiet. This was the moment that everyone had been waiting a month for. Now they would find out who the champions were and the tournament would be able to commence. Each student waited with bated breath as the headmaster spoke.

"Once more we welcome our fellow schools in joining us for the Triwizard Tournament. It is an honor to be hosting such a grand event. Now, for the moment I am sure everyone has been waiting for, I shall reveal the champions," he declared. With a wave of his wand, the Goblet of Fire was revealed, now standing at the front of the hall to the right of the headmaster.

The man moved in front of it and the flames burned bright blue and then white before spitting out a charred piece of parchment. It landed perfectly in the palm of the Headmaster's hand.

"Our first two champions are… Damien Krum and Alek Dragoni," he announced. A loud cheer from the Durmstrang group indicated that they were from their school. Two males stood up, bearing the deep red uniform of their school. They headed up to the front where the headmaster was waiting and indicated for them to stand off to the side.

Damien Krum was a tall and muscular man who had dark hair that was buzz cut short in a very militant style. He bore a heavy brow and deep set onyx eyes that gave him a very intimidating look which seemed to compliment his olive toned skin. His face was very square making him appear to be overwhelmingly masculine. It seemed to work wonders on some of the girls because several of their love struck sighs could be heard. It was clear that even through his heavy uniform that he was incredibly fit which would give him some advantage in endurance for the tournament.

Alek Dragoni was not quite as large as Krum but still muscular. His skin was much lighter as was his hair. It was strawberry blond and cut semi short, falling just above his collar. While his eyes were a deep shade of brown, the angles of his face were softer, making him seem more angelic than stern. He was almost the complete opposite in appearance than Krum.

Once more the headmaster waved his hand in front of the Goblet of Fire and yet another piece of charred parchment fell into his hands. This one was still had a flame attached to it that he quickly blew out.

"Our next two champions are…. Antoinette Chevalier and Marie Beauchamp," he announce, earning melodic squeals from several girls, indicating that the champions were from Beauxbatons. While it was not an all-girl school, it appeared that most of the attending potential champions were in fact female. Two women stood up, dressed in their blue uniforms and practically glided over to where they were to be standing, next to the Durmstrang champions.

Antoinette and Marie were both very slight in figure and unnaturally beautiful. Both bore pale, unblemished porcelain skin. Antoinette held bright blue eyes and long platinum blonde hair while Marie held grey eyes and short caramel hair, cut in a pixie style.

For the final time, the headmaster waved his hand and another piece of parchment flew out from the Goblet of Fire, twisting several times in the air before finding its destination in the palm of the man's hand. Waving it a few times, he grinned out at the crowd of students. Some were literally on the edge of their seat as they waited to discover who their champions were.

"And finally, our last set of champions," he said before pausing for effect. "Rose Weasley—" This time he was forced to pause as there was a loud eruption of cheers from three out of the four tables. It appeared that everyone was quite happy with this decision, except for of course the Slytherins.

Rose could barely register what was going on. Albus seemed to be beside himself with excitement as he shook her happily. She had to blink a few times to snap herself out of her daze. While she did enter her name, she really didn't think she was going to be chosen as a champion. Her mouth opened and closed a few times as she found herself at a loss for words. Seeing as how she was already standing near the front of the hall to assist with anything necessary, she did not have to go far as she stood next to the Beauxbaton women. Once she was situated, she kept her eyes on Albus. He had to be the next champion. She was not sure she could work with anyone else. No one but him seemed to even be close to her intelligence and he was already used to her bossy nature.

The headmaster cleared his throat several times but was unsuccessful at quieting down the hall. Sighing briefly, he bellowed out a command of silence before he was able to be heard once more.

"Yes, yes it is quite exciting. Now would you like to hear our other champion?" he asked rhetorically but was bombarded by cheers once more. Shaking his head, he shot the students what could only be describe as a death glare before they all quieted.

"Our last champion is…."

 **A/N: Yay for cliffhangers! Though to be honest, this is probably pretty obvious but whatever, I like leaving it here. Please, please review and say nice (but honest) things. If I know that enough people are interested I will continue writing. Thanks again for your patience. This chapter ended up being longer than I anticipated which ends up being beneficial for all of you reading :)**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **A/N: All I can say is wow. Thanks so much for the reviews! It means a lot and gives me that extra boost of confidence to keep writing. You guys are awesome. Thanks for all of the thoughtful words and advice. I hope you guys are in it for the long haul because I have so many ideas planned out for this story and it's gonna be a lengthy one.**

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 7*~**

Once more the headmaster gave pause midsentence. He seemed to be overly enjoying the tension and anxiety that he was causing amongst the student body. Everyone at this point was leaning forward on their seat, waiting to hear who the second champion would be. No one was more nervous than Rose.

Rose's heart was pounding viciously against her chest and she felt her palms begin to sweat within her clenched fists. She was an anxious as everyone else if not more so. She was going to have to depend heavily on the second champion to not only help her win the tournament but most importantly keep her alive. The headmaster had warned them how dangerous the tournament would be and she knew from her family's experience just how horrific it could be.

It felt like an absolute eternity before the headmaster decided to speak again. There was a small, knowing grin on his face as he gazed out to the eagerly waiting students.

"Albus Potter –" he started but was immediately cut off by an uproar of students. He had a feeling that this was going to happen and perhaps even felt a bit guilty. Maybe but most likely not. Students had stood up in their seats and were cheering. Albus had a mix of surprise, shock, and horror on his face as he slowly turned towards Rose with wide eyes.

Relief washed over Rose as she smiled widely. There was no one she trusted more than her cousin. With the two of them they would be able to survive and maybe, just maybe win. It would be motiving Albus to do more than his best that might have been the real challenge. Their excitement and relief was short lived as the headmaster spoke silenced the room once more, that grin still in place.

"So eager, we are. As I was trying to say, Albus Potter, would you do us the honor of announcing the final champion?" he said, earning a wave of disappointed scowls and frowns. Half of the Hall stood up once more and began booing and shouting other obscenities. A death glare from the headmaster had the hall silenced yet again.

Albus was not sure if he was more relieved or disappointed. Truth be told, as the tournament neared, he realized just how stupid and irrational he was acting. His father had nearly died in this tournament and he was a much greater wizard than himself. Granted there were other extenuating circumstances but who was to say something like that couldn't happen again? It was unlikely, but who knew?

He felt incredibly guilty as he realized that Rose never would have been chosen for this tournament had he not been acting so irrationally. His cousin was very protective over him and their entire family. Of course she would do something like this. Though, he did suppose somewhere she was thrilled. He had known her long enough to know that she did have an irrational side that she did feed.

However, he was disappointed that he would not have a chance to prove himself and his worth. He wanted to set himself apart from his father but this was not the way to do it. Had he truly been chosen, everyone would have expected him to excel and win as his father had done.

Now he was worried because he had to depend on whoever was chosen to take care of Rose. They had both entered because they were supposed to take care of each other but they did know that, realistically, there was no way to guarantee they would both been chosen. For a moment, it appeared that the fates were on their side.

The room had once more gone deathly quiet. The headmaster clearing his throat pulled Albus from his thoughts as he moved toward the man. Honestly, he was not sure what he was getting at or why he was having him announce the last champion but since his first year he learned not to question him. The man was an enigma to say the least and the more he tried to understand him the less he did.

Reaching out, Albus took the charred parchment that held the names of the two champions. Sure enough he saw Rose's name but the name below hers made his stomach churn. This had to be a mistake. There was no way in hell that this was going to work. He felt his anger bubble to the surface but considering he had every pair of eyes in the school on him, he did his best to hide it. Taking a breath, he tried to keep the disdain out of his voice.

"Scorpius Malfoy," he announced loudly, though it took everything in his willpower to keep from glaring at the prat. The hall was stunned into further silence before the Slytherin table jumped up and began cheering loud enough to make up for the rest of the hall. Slowly but surely, the rest of the hall began clapping and softly cheering. The response was not as grand as Rose's but it was not quiet by any means.

Scorpius had been lost in thought practically from the moment he sat down in the hall. His mind had been plagued by the scene he had saved Rose from. He didn't even bother retrieving his so called friends who were more than likely still lying in the hall unconscious. It was for the best. If he had seen any of them again he might have killed them.

He would have to admit to himself, that he was proud of Rose. She stood at the front of the Great Hall in all of her pristine splendor and didn't even let on even a hint that she had gone through something traumatic. He was not sure how she had managed it. Sure there were spells to mask the physical proof but nothing could change whatever thoughts were going through her head. It was astounding and it was then that he realized just how incredibly strong she was. It was admirable and he found himself smiling to himself ever so slightly.

His heart dropped, however, when he heard her name echoing off the walls of the hall. She was their first champion. While he couldn't think of anyone more appropriate, he didn't like the idea of her plunging headfirst into danger. Merlin knew she seemed to find it quite well on her own without searching it out. He couldn't even deny the concern and worry that he felt.

At the mention of Potter's name, he felt himself shoot up from his seat for a moment. His anger was tangible as the thought of him being the second champion and the one to protect Rose. While he knew the two of them were close, he never seemed to be around when she needed it. His fists clenched at his side, he was thankful that the rest of the hall had been distracted and had not noticed him. It did not escape his table's notice, though. Several of his housemates gave him strange looks as it appeared that he was joining the celebration of the Gryffindor becoming the second champion. Flushing a bit, he scowled as he sat back down, offering no explanation of his actions.

Scorpius was silently grumbling to himself as he wrestled with his thoughts and feelings. For some reason unknown to him he was being unbelievably protective over Rose. Given what he had saved her from, he could hardly blame himself. While he knew that he was supposed to hate her, he was finding it harder and harder to do so. This was also the first year they had "interacted" so much with one another, if that's what their encounters could be called. If she normally endured such dangerous situations, how in the hell did she even manage to get this far without getting killed?

Now that he thought of it, Rose had been acting very different this year, though arguably so was he. He wondered, for just a moment, if they were catalysts for one another. The thought wasn't allowed to dwell in his mind as he heard his name called from none other than Potter. Having not been paying attention, he had no idea what was going on. It was not until his housemates were cheering and congratulating him that he realized what happened.

"Holy shit…" he blurted as his eyes grew wide. For just a moment he lost his composure but quickly regained it as he stood up. While he appeared cool on the outside, his signature smirk in place, his heart was racing wildly as he moved to the front of the hall and took his place next to Rose. Gazing over at her, he offered her a flash of a genuine smile before looking back to the rest of the hall. He would be much more adept at making sure that Rose didn't die. Hell, they might even win this thing.

Rose was convinced she was hearing things when she heard Albus announce Malfoy's name. There was no way that he was the second champion and her partner. Oh who was she kidding? If this year was an indication to anything, she should have expected it. She bit her lower lip uneasily as she saw Malfoy walk over to where she was and she grimaced. While she had a charm that would not reveal her injuries it was only a glamor. Her lip still hurt incredibly.

However, she found herself momentarily forgetting about the pain the moment Scorpius smiled at her. It was brief and she wasn't entirely sure that she had seen it but it had her heart racing one more. Damn he was good looking when he was genuine. She realized she had been gazing at him too long when he glanced at her from the corner of his eye and winked at her. Flushing, she immediately looked forward and away from him. What had gotten into her?

The headmaster brought the attention to himself once more, a wide smile on his face as he gazed out to the rest of the Hall.

"And so we have our champions! Now everyone, make our guests feel welcome during their stay with us. Everyone, return to your common rooms for the night. Champions, please remain here with me for a moment" he concluded. The Durmstrang students were staying with the Slytherins down in the dungeons and the Beauxbaton students were staying with the Ravenclaws in the tower.

After his dismissal, the hall began to slowly empty but loud chatter and excitement could be heard outside of the doors. Several students had stopped the newcomers and were excitedly chattering away. It took the ushering of several professors and prefects to get everyone to where they were supposed to be.

Albus gave Rose an uneasy look as he gazed between her and Malfoy before disappearing to perform his Head Boy duties. He was really unhappy with who was chosen as her partner and he felt responsible for it. If anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself. Whether it was Malfoy's fault or not, he would be sure to take it out on him as well.

The headmasters from each school and all of the champions headed into a nearby room to discuss what they would need to know for the tournament. It was decided that each set of champions would have their own room to share. Instead of heading back to their dormitories at night, they would return to that room which essentially was a small common room attached to a small bedroom with two beds. It was to promote teamwork instead of each champion acting on their own.

Each set of champions were then led to their room where their stuff was already waiting for them. Rose stood awkwardly in the room with Scorpius, who didn't look as though he was any more comfortable than she. They had been informed that the first task of the tournament would not be for a few weeks still but to prepare all the same. How were they supposed to prepare for something they knew nothing of? Rose didn't like the feeling of not knowing. She prided herself on knowing just about everything or finding out a way to gain the information necessary. It seemed like an eternity that the two of them just stood there, not looking at one another, in silence.

Expelling a breath, Rose moved more into the room. To the left was a small fire place with a plush armchair and loveseat. The seats were decorated in a deep purple and appeared to have white stars floating across it. Along the walls were several floor to ceiling bookcases with a variety of different sized books on various subjects. A small doorway ahead indicated that there was a tiny bathroom with a shower. To the right of the room were two twin sized beds dressed in simple bedding colored the same as the seats. The room was large enough to accommodate Rose and Scorpius together, but it felt rather intimate.

Rose headed over to her bed and saw that her trunk had been placed at the foot of it. Saying nothing still to Scorpius, she removed her cloak and folded it neatly before placing it on top of the trunk. She considered removing her sweater but after what happened to her earlier, she thought against it for now. Sighing as she recalled the event she had been trying to forget, she sat on the edge of the bed she had claimed and stared at the ground dazedly.

Scorpius had conspicuously been watching Rose as she inspected the room. Granted she didn't get very far but he found himself intrigued by her movements. From start to finish, he could almost read her thoughts and by the time she sat down on the bed, his heart had been breaking for her. She was incredibly strong but she hadn't given the event much thought until now, he supposed. The fact that she was a Triwizard Champion was pushed from her mind for now.

Before he knew what he was doing, he was standing in front of her and gently tilting her head upwards so that he could see her more fully. The glamor she had been wearing was starting to fade away and he visibly winced at what he saw. The bruise on her cheek had darkened and was a rough purplish-blue color. Her lips were still swollen and looked as though they might have bled a bit more. Anger was visible on his face and he was half tempted to hunt those bastards down and make sure they were never seen again.

Rose was surprised when she heard Scorpius move and his shoes came into her line of vision. He was standing in front of her and then he was touching her. Shivers coursed through her, causing goosebumps to erupt on her skin. Looking up to gaze at him directly, she was taken aback at his anger. What had she done to cause it?

"Why are you angry with me?" she asked gently. He seemed shocked by her question and his gaze softened almost immediately but he did not remove his hand.

"I'm not angry with you. I'm angry at the assholes who did this to you," he answered immediately and directly. Rose was once more surprised that she had been able to get a direct answer from him and without malice.

"And since when do you care what happens to me? Why have you been helping me out?" she asked as she moved her face away from his touch. It was too distracting and she wanted answers.

Scorpius' first reaction was to become defensive and gruff but then he realized they were alone and she had already seen this side of him. There was no one he needed to put an act on for. His reputation was not at stake. Now that they were the champions for Hogwarts, it was not going to be construed as that odd for the two of them to be together without fighting.

"We may not like each other but… I don't want anything to… happen to you per say. I don't want you to die or get maimed or anything like that," he said, smiling just a bit. "besides, what almost happened to you is unforgiveable. No one deserves that. Even an enemy." His smile disappeared entirely.

"So… what would you call us then? Are we enemies?" she asked quietly. She had been hating that term more and more since the year had started. She didn't want them to be enemies. Actually, she had never wanted that. It had just happened because of their families' history.

Frowning, Scorpius considered an answer to her question. They were not anything close to friends but they were obviously more than acquaintances. He didn't want to think of them as enemies but outside of happening to save her all the time, they didn't get along.

"Well… for now it looks like we're partners," he said after a moment. It was the best he could come up with. Rose didn't appear overly thrilled but she seemed to accept it. For a moment, Scorpius moved away from her so that he too could remove his robes. He was already without his sweater so he removed his tie and undid a few buttons to his shirt so that he was more comfortable. While he was making himself comfortable, he noticed that Rose was watching him. A smirk slid onto his face.

"Like what you see?" he inquired, his smirk widening as an attractive shade of pink flooded the red head's face before she turned away.

"Don't flatter yourself," she mumbled but snuck another peek at him, this one much more inconspicuously. She heard him laugh to himself a bit before digging around in his trunk. Curious as to what he was doing, Rose looked at him once more.

"What are you doing?"

"My, we are nosey aren't we? Need to know everything that's going on?" Rose huffed a bit at this but said nothing. A moment passed and he approached her once more, a nameless tube in hand. She raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Are you gonna call me nosey if I ask what that is?" she asked, earning a bit of a laugh from him. It shocked her that he even knew how to laugh without it sounding condescending. A warmth flooded her from head to toe. Something had changed with him and she wondered what it was. He was being…. pleasant. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew it was because no one was watching.

"It will help with the bruising," he replied as he indicated to her face.

"Why do you have that?" she asked without thinking. Scorpius gave her a droll look as he gave her a moment to think that over. "oh, right. No one likes you." Her response earned her a roll of his eyes.

"Oh thanks for the bluntness. Contrary to your popular belief, a lot of people like me. However, your brother and Potter are another story. Things tend to get rather violent around them," he explained as he uncapped the tube. He squeezed some of the paste out onto his finger as he sat next to her. Reaching towards her, he frowned as she shrunk away.

"Hey, don't you trust me?" A look from Rose indicated that she did not in fact trust him. He couldn't blame her but he was a bit hurt considering everything he had done for her. She caught the look and eased up a bit. "don't you think if I wanted to hurt you I wouldn't have helped you?"

"I guess you're right," Rose said slowly and carefully as she moved within range. She still didn't overly trust him but he had a point. Besides, logically it would make no sense for him to cause harm to her. He couldn't win this tournament without her.

Satisfied that she would not move, Scorpius gently applied the paste her to her bruise. She winced and twitched a bit as he touched it, but he tried to be as careful as possible. While he worked, she never took her gaze off of him. It was unnerving but he said nothing as he worked.

As soon as the paste was applied, Rose felt a cooling sensation wash over her cheek. Almost immediately the pain subsided but she knew that it would be a while before the bruise disappeared entirely. Eventually she was going to have to see her brother and Albus and things were not going to go smoothly. She was sure Scorpius was somehow going to get blamed for it too.

"I don't think there's anything I can do for your lips though," Scorpius said quietly as his gaze fell to her swollen lips. Despite them being roughed up, they were very tempting to him. His heart skipped a beat as he realized how close the two of them were and that he had the sudden urge to close the gap. There was no way in hell he was feeling like this towards Rose Weasley.

Rose couldn't breathe as she realized how close he was to her and the way he was looking at her. Her heart raced and she found herself wanting him to act on his impulse. For a moment, they locked gazes and it felt as though time stood still. Without even realizing what he was doing, Scorpius leaned forwards a bit. Rose shifted on the bed, her hand landing on his thigh to steady herself. This seemed to snap him out of whatever trance he seemed to be in.

Scorpius bolted off the bed so fast, it seemed like he fell off of it. Standing up straight, he screwed the cap back on the tube of paste and threw it onto his bed. His face was slightly flushed with embarrassment as he tried to rid his mind of the thoughts of what he almost did.

"That stuff should help. The bruise should be gone by sometime tomorrow," he mumbled awkwardly as he moved to get as far away from Rose as possible. He was in the bathroom before she had a chance to say anything at all.

"What….just happened?" she whispered to herself as she lightly touched her fingers to her lips. Wincing, she noticed that they were still tender but what surprised her most of all was the disappointment that was washing over her. Why in the hell did she wanted Scorpius Malfoy to kiss her? Why did she want anyone near her after what happened? Her face felt incredibly warm, flushed with the same sort of embarrassment that Scorpius had felt.

Standing in the shower, Scorpius had the water on full blast and frigid cold. He needed to erase those insane thoughts from his mind. There was no way he was attracted to her. She wasn't even his kind of woman. There wasn't anything overly attractive about her. Granted she wasn't plain and homely but still. Even as he tried to erase her from his mind, all he kept imaging was the way she looked at him. She had reciprocated his desire.

Even with the cold water running down his body, it was doing nothing to cool him off. All he kept seeing was her outstanding blue eyes gazing at him, silently begging him to act. Her swollen, pink lips had been parted and inviting and there was an attractive blush to her cheeks that made her eyes shine brighter. The red of her hair only accentuated the paleness of her skin that aside from the bruise was otherwise unblemished.

His body hardened almost immediately as the image of her face refused to leave his mind. So much for the showering helping him. It seemed like nothing he could do would banish her from his thoughts. Somewhere he knew that he didn't really want that. Indulging in the thoughts that clearly were not leaving him, he leaned against the shower wall as he reached down and began stroking himself.

Biting his lower lip, his thoughts revealed more than just her face to him. Having been more concerned with her welfare than appearance before, now he recalled the same pale skin stretched over perfectly formed collarbones that he was tempted to nibble on. The hollow of her throat begged to be kissed and teased.

His mind's gaze trailed further to her plump breasts that were hidden beneath her black bra. Black never seemed sexier than it did against her pale skin. In this fantasy of his, she was laying back against the emerald green sheets of his bed, her flaming red hair fanned out around her.

Groaning softly, his strokes became faster and more frantic. His body tensed with his impending climax. No, he didn't want it to end just yet. He was giving himself just this moment to indulge in these thoughts. Maybe after giving in they would leave him. Softly panting, his fantasy continued but he could not hold himself back any longer. He came just a moment later, his body shuddering in response.

Leaning back against the shower wall fully, he let the water wash over his body and rinse him as he caught his breath. What in the hell had gotten into him? It had been a few days since he had shagged anyone. That had to be it. All of those pent up hormones were making him mental. It was the only rational explanation as to why he was suddenly attracted to the Weasley girl. He would have to make sure he rectified that problem.

After what felt like an eternity, his mind and his body had cooled off and he stepped out of the shower. Drying off, he wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out of the bathroom to retrieve his clothes for the night.

Luck seemed to finally be on his side. Rose had climbed into and was sleeping. Had he really been in the shower that long? Noticing her uniform folded neatly and placed with her robe, he wondered just what it was that she went to bed in. As though sensing his thoughts, Rose rolled over onto her back, her covers slipping down to her waist. Scorpius was disappointed to find that she was sleeping in a silky, long sleeved button up shirt that he was sure had matching pants. It looked like there were ravens or something on it.

Shaking his head at her prudish nature, which was the complete opposite of what he had just been fantasizing, he dug around in his trunk until he found a pair of his boxers and some pajama pants. Tempted to just drop the towel and dress there, he disappeared into the bathroom instead just in case she woke up. Best not to traumatize her twice in one day. As soon as he was dressed he found himself exhausted as well. Sliding beneath the covers of his bed, he glanced once more at Rose before turning his back on her and staring at the wall.

Hours had to have passed before Scorpius finally found solitude in sleep. His mind kept replaying the events of the day and more importantly his shower. Maybe now that he gave in, he would be able to concentrate on more important things like the Triwizard Tournament. Oh yeah, how could have forgotten about such an important event? Rose seemed to do that to him and he would continue to deny the implications that caused.

Rose woke up the next morning before Scorpius did. It had been odd to be sleeping somewhere else besides the dorm but it wasn't all that bad. As she sat up, she heard light snoring to her left and was reminded of the night before. A light blush dusted her cheeks as she realized that she had been sleeping in the same room as Scorpius and would be for the duration of the tournament.

While she understood that sharing a room was supposed to promote teamwork, she didn't think it was the best idea. The Durmstrang champions were both male and the Beauxbaton champions were both female so neither group had to worry about awkward situations. Her and Malfoy, however, were a completely different story. Especially because they weren't even sure of themselves as it was. Somehow she got the feeling that the headmaster was meddling. It was an irrational thought, which wasn't like her, but she couldn't help it.

Quietly slipping out of bed, she gathered up her uniform and disappeared to take a shower. She returned a moment later, dressed and ready. A frown marred her features as she realized that Scorpius was nowhere near ready to get up. A clock on the wall chimed, indicating that breakfast would be starting soon. She was torn between letting the man sleep and waking him up for breakfast. The latter won out as she moved over to the bed and gazed down at his sleeping figure.

Scorpius was sleeping with one arm bent above his head and the other draped across his eyes. His covers had slid down low on his waist, revealing a well-toned and sculpted chest. The covers rested low on his hips and she wondered if he was even wearing anything underneath. Rose found herself distracted by the appealing sight in front of her. He seemed to be sleeping so peacefully and it was nice to see him without a scowl on his face. It made him seem impossibly more attractive and it caused her to bite her lower lip uncomfortably. She had an overwhelming urge to pounce on him.

Crouching down, she reached over and gently shook his shoulder. His snoring hitched for a moment as he opened and closed his mouth and then resumed, unfazed. Frowning, Rose shook him a bit harder. This elicited a moan from him as he sleepily swat at her with the arm that was above his head.

"Scorpius…. Scorpius wake up, you're gonna miss breakfast," she chided as she continued to shake him. Eventually she succeeded in waking him up. Scorpius lazily moved his arm away from eyes and gazed up at her with sleepy, stormy eyes. Barely comprehending what was going on, he sat up on his elbows a bit as he gazed at her unfocusedly. Clearly he had fallen asleep with his hair wet because it was slightly poufy and sticking out at all kinds of wild angles. The whole sight was beyond adorable to Rose and she had to bite her lip once more from giggling. However, she was unable to keep the smile from her face.

"Good morning, sleepy-head," she said gently. Scorpius blinked a few times as he looked at her, finally waking up enough to recognize who she was. Rose could almost see the gears turning in his head as he recalled the night before and why she was in the same bedroom as him. Flopping back, he put his arm back over his eyes.

" 'morning," he mumbled as he threatened to fall back asleep. It was too early to be his normal grouchy self. It had been a long night and he estimated he had only been asleep maybe three hours.

"Come on, time to get up. If you don't get breakfast then you won't have enough brain power to help prepare for the first task," she chided as she poked his chest. He groaned once more.

"I hate morning people…." he grumbled. "we don't even know what to prepare for," he continued complaining. He heard Rose sigh in response.

"Well we can't just sit around doing nothing," she said, now placing her hands on her hips irritably. Scorpius said nothing in response to her and she feared he went back to sleep. Growling, she reached over and yanked the covers clear off of him. This succeeded in Scorpius removing his arm quickly and looking up at her.

Rose stood awkwardly with his covers still in her hands as she gave his body a once over. He was wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs that left little to the imagination. It looked like he might have been wearing pajama bottoms at one point but kicked them off during the night. The bulge beneath his boxers was unmistakable and Rose felt her face explode with red as she looked anywhere but at Scorpius.

Scorpius did not miss the look on her face and could not help but smirk widely. He swung his legs out over the edge of the bed and sat up. Rose had, at this point, turned her back to him entirely. She was flustered beyond belief and for once at a loss for words.

"You could always join me in bed," Scorpius said silkily. Before Rose could respond, he grabbed her by the hips and pulled her onto his lap on the bed. The woman grew impossibly redder before screaming and shoving him back on to the bed. She scrambled off the bed quickly and he could do nothing but laugh at the rise he got out of her.

"You are such a jerk! Fine, don't eat!" she yelled before high-tailing it out of the room. Scorpius knew that he should probably be mad but he honestly wasn't. She was too damned cute when she was angry. Slowly, he got ready for the day. Maybe he would go to breakfast and antagonize her some more.

Rose's face felt as though it was on fire and she was not even sure if it was ever going to go away. Malfoy was acting like a completely different person now and she wasn't sure if she liked it. It might have been easier to deal with his nasty attitude instead of trying to come to terms with him being nice. She was going loony. Here she got what she wanted and now she wasn't sure she wanted it. Ugh, feelings were too confusing sometimes.

She was in such a state of dismay that she reached the Great Hall before she even realized it. Slipping inside, she was ambushed immediately by Albus and Hugo who looked more than a little distraught.

"What the hell happened to you?!" Albus bellowed, causing her to wince from how loud he was being. It took her a good moment to realize what he was referring to. She probably still looked terrible, despite the cream that Scorpius gave her last night.

"I… um… well…" she said awkwardly, shifted her weight to her other foot. How did she put this delicately?

"Does this have to do with why you were late to dinner last night?" Hugo asked, less loudly than his cousin but just as eagerly. He was worried about her too.

"Yeah…. But—"

"Does it have to do with Malfoy?" Albus shot.

"Yeah…. But—"

"I knew it! Didn't I tell you it was that bastard's fault!" Albus shouted as he turned to Hugo who nodded agreeably.

"Wait, no it's not like –" Rose was cut off once more as Albus and Hugo started arguing back and forth about what they were going to do to Malfoy. Rose sighed irritably as neither one of them would let her get a word in. Just as she was about to try once more, both boys pushed passed her. She barely had enough time to turn around when she saw the two of them grab Malfoy by the front of his robes and push him outside of the Great Hall.

Rose's eyes widened in great alarm as she bolted out the door. Lily, who had apparently been in the Hall as well, followed after. She was surprised that Scorpius had even arrived at the Hall as quickly as he did. He wasn't even out of bed yet when she left. Now, Albus had him pinned against the wall and was yelling at him.

"You rotten bloody bastard! I'm going to kick your arse for what you did!" he yelled before landing a blow to Malfoy's jaw. Scorpius swore up a storm as he returned the blow and soon enough the two of them were entangled. Hugo stood off to the side awaiting his turn to strike.

"While I don't mind kicking your pansy arse, wanna tell me what the bloody hell I supposedly did!" Scorpius bellowed in return as he successfully punched Potter in the stomach. While it was normally for the two of them to brawl, he was normally aware of what he did to deserve it.

"You know what the hell you did to Rose!" Scorpius paused as he tried to figure out what he was talking about. This moment's hesitation allowed for Albus to land another blow to his face. Growling, he stumbled away as he held his jaw.

"All we did was sleep together! That's it!" he yelled, wondering if Rose made up some story about him assaulting her this morning. Apparently he said the wrong thing because the next thing he knew Potter was red in the face and throwing a hex at him. He barely dodged it, part of it hitting his shoulder roughly.

"Enough of this! Knock it off!" Rose screamed before hexing every single one of them with a spell to immobilize them. Glaring at her cousin and brother, she was tempting to punch them herself. Albus has a black eye forming as well as a few other bruises she was sure she couldn't see. Scorpius had the losing end of the fight. He had a black eye forming too but with a complimentary split lip that was bleeding badly.

"He deserved it!" Albus roared, his chest heaving angrily. "look at your face and what he's done to you!" This time Rose rolled her eyes at his hot-tempered nature. He wasn't normally too terrible but with Malfoy it always seemed worse.

"He didn't do this to me okay?" she said quieter, hating that she was having to explain things this way. "I was attacked in the dungeons and Scorpius saved me. Now cut it out before I punch you myself." Albus went silent and his eyes shifted over to Hugo, looking to see what he thought.

"If he saved you…. What was he talking about sleeping with you?" Hugo asked, shooting Scorpius a glare. Despite how terrible the circumstances were, Scorpius smirked despite it all. Rose shot him a glare, silencing him.

"I'm really not entirely sure what he's talking about. We have to share a room together because we're champions. There are two separate beds," she said quickly before looking over to Scorpius with a questioning look.

"Hey, I thought you told them I attacked you in the night or something," he said. He would have shrugged his shoulders if he could. Rose growled angrily at him.

"And why the hell would I make up something like that? You know what, don't answer," she said before finally releasing everyone from the spell.

"You guys are as stupid as it gets," a voice called out disapprovingly. Lily, who had been quiet, walked over to them. "If you guys had let her speak to begin with none of this would have happened. You two are always looking for a reason to fight, even if there isn't any. How many times has he helped Rose now? More than you two." Both Albus and Hugo looked away ashamed. It was the truth.

Scorpius' mouth hung open. He did not expect the Potter girl to defend him. Granted he was never really terrible to her but he never expected this. Now he felt especially awkward. Things just kept getting stranger and stranger. Fights he was able to handle. People defending his honor… not so much.

"Thanks, Lily," Rose said gently as she smiled at the girl before she went back to glaring at the boys. "now if you three are quite finished, I am going to eat breakfast. Scorpius, I suggest you do the same and then meet me in the library. " Her declaration was final as she left with Lily to return to the Great Hall. A moment of silence passed between the three men.

"Insufferable git" Albus mumbled under his breath.

"Right back at ya, Potter," Scorpius said before heading back into the Hall as well. While he was not one to take orders, Rose was on a warpath and he didn't particularly feel like being in the crossfires. They did have to work together if they were going to have any chance at winning this thing.

 **A/N: And this is where I leave it for now. Please Please, as always, review! Tell me whatcha think! The more reviews I get, the faster I will post. I already have the next chapter in the works.**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **A/N: Again thanks everyone for the awesome reviews! Sorry it has taken me so long to update. With New Year's Eve and New Year's my job practically worked me straight through. Then I tore one of my fingernails off completely which makes it nearly impossible to type, but I assure you I am okay now and ready to go! As usual, continue with the reviews! I like to see that people are reading. Even if you write a simple line like "love it!" or "it's awesome!" And if you don't like it then I have no idea why you are up to this chapter already :D And if you don't like the chapter then I really can't help you :P**

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 8*~**

Scorpius could not believe that yet again he was allowing Rose to drag him to the library. For the last week it felt as though that was all they were doing. It might have made sense if they knew what it was they were preparing for. Rose just kept telling him to "read" and that was it. Currently, he was pretending to read up on different poisonous plants.

When they weren't in the library they hardly saw one another which he supposed defeated the whole purpose of them sharing a room at the end of the night. Though, truth be told, he had not slept there one night since the first night. After his… shower fiasco… he had made it a point to spend his time in other beds. It was his hope that it would purge his mind of his thoughts of Rose. So far it seemed to be working. So far they had also not see one another as frequently.

"You're not even trying," Rose complained quietly as she noticed just how bored Scorpius looked. She could tell that he wasn't even reading. He was turning the pages far too quickly, even for skimming. He growled irritably as he slammed the book shut.

"That's because this is stupid. All we are doing is wasting time," he grumbled unhappily as he glared at the red head.

"Oh yeah? Then what's your brilliant plan?" she inquired, just as annoyed as she gently closed her book shut.

"As I have said before, we spy on the other Champions and get their information," he said with a shrug of his shoulders as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Rose's mouth fell open for a brief moment before she pursed her lips together.

"That is cheating and highly immoral. I won't allow it," she said definitively as she opened her book once more.

"And what if I told you that I already gained some information?" he tempted as he leaned back in his chair, all of a sudden finding his nails interesting. Rose paused in what she was doing and he saw her gazing at him with piqued interest. It also appeared that she was struggling with her sense of righteousness.

"And?" she finally asked.

"And what?" he asked with a smirk, this time looking at her. There was a flush starting in her cheeks the longer she struggled.

"What did you find out?" she mumbled. Scorpius laughed victoriously and earned a death glare both from the librarian and Rose.

"Nah, I was lying. Just wanted to prove a point. You're not as righteous as you think you are," he said with a wink. Rose's eyes widened in surprise before narrowing angrily. The flush that had started in her cheeks worked across her whole face and down her neck. She was embarrassed and angry.

"You dirty, lying, prat!" she hissed venomously as she raised her book like a weapon. Scorpius winced in preparation to be hit but she seemed to have thought better of it and laid her book down.

"I am a Slytherin," he said with a snicker, earning a smack from Rose to his face. Rose continued to grumble quietly, muttering about how unlucky she was to have him as a partner.

"Hard at work are we?" a voice called out, causing the two to jump slightly. Raising her head, she saw that it was the headmaster. Immediately, she sat up straight and fixed herself while Scorpius made no efforts to look presentable.

"Yes, sir. Yes we are," Rose said gently. She noticed that for once the headmaster was dressed like a normal wizard. Typically he seemed to be fond of muggle clothing, especially pinstripe suits. Today, however, he was dressed in a vibrant set of crimson robes that had black lightning bolts flashing from beneath dark clouds. There seemed to be a tumultuous storm working its way across his robes. It was such a drastic change that she could not help but stare for a moment.

"Working well?" the headmaster asked, pulling Rose from her thoughts. While she didn't feel as though they were working well, she knew that it could be worse.

"You could say that," Scorpius mumbled, annoyed at the man's presence. He wasn't overly fond of the headmaster. The man was a little loony in his opinion. Maybe more than a little.

"A Ravenclaw and a Slytherin. Such an interesting pairing the Goblet has chosen. The eagle and the serpent. Enemies of one another and yet, one would never expect them to work together. Such fascinating creatures. Both have great significance throughout history and mythology. Both are deadly on their own and even more so together but will they work together? Can they?" he said vaguely with a faint chuckle, seemingly half speaking to himself. Scorpius was not sure what to make of the man in front of him nor his comments. Rose seemed to share his sentiments as she gave him a confused looked before returning her gaze to their headmaster.

"I…. guess so…" Rose said uneasily. She felt like there was more to what he was saying but she just wasn't sure what. The headmaster simply smiled at the two before taking his leave. Rose wondered if he had gone out of his way to speak to them.

"That guy is a loon. Absolutely mental. How he became headmaster I will never know," Scorpius said with a shake of his head. Rose opened her mouth to say something and then frowned. As time ticked by, her frown increased and her brows furrowed. It appeared like she was struggling to figure something out. Leaning over, Scorpius poked the center of her forehead.

"What are you thinking?" he inquired, finding her silence a bit off putting. Whenever she was quiet it either meant that she was going to explode venom, typically at him or she had a brilliant idea. Personally, he was hoping for the latter.

"What's the headmaster's name?" she asked suddenly as she swatted away his hand. It was Scorpius' turn to frown.

"What kind of bloody question is that? We have been going here for the past six years and you don't know what our headmaster's name is?" he asked incredulously. Rose's frown deepened at this.

"I know it's a silly question but I cannot recall his name. Humor me," she said as she leaned forward on the table a bit. She was not sure as to why it was just hitting her now but honestly, she could not remember the headmaster's name for the life of her. It was odd, as Scorpius said, considering that he had been their headmaster since they started school. Scorpius scoffed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"It's Headmaster…. Uh…. Headmaster…. Mr…." he tried to come up with the man's name but he couldn't either. Rose grinned widely for a moment, feeling victorious that she wasn't the only one who couldn't figure it out. The blond in front of her blushed slightly at having been proven wrong.

"See? Isn't it strange?" she inquired as she leaned forward as though whispering a secret. Scorpius found himself leaning closer to her, compelled by her closeness.

"Okay, yeah it is strange but why are we just noticing this now?" he asked. His eyes searched hers and then began taking in the features of her face. Once more that flush stained her cheeks as it did whenever she got excited. Her eyes were bright at the prospect of figuring out a great riddle. The woman truly seemed to enjoy working her brain. This tournament was perfect for that but also dangerous. There was more necessary than just brains. That's where he came in. He had brains and brawn.

"I don't know but I am going to find out, one way or another. There has to be a reason why he is keeping his name a secret," she mused, gazing at Scorpius but not really seeing him. Her thoughts were elsewhere. Scorpius found this to be disheartening. If he was this close to her, she should be paying attention to him. Once more he leaned a bit closer, his nose just a few inches from hers.

"So… how are you going to do that?" he asked quietly, his gaze falling upon her lips. Again he was almost overwhelmed with the intense desire to kiss those full lips and taste her.

"I…. don't know…." She said slowly as she finally realized how close Scorpius was to her and how distracted he seemed. Her blush deepened at the intensity that he was watching her. Swallowing hard, her lips parted as her breathing quickened due to her heart rate having sped up. How did he have such an effect on her?

With a great force of will, she leaned back and tucked some of her red hair behind her ear. Scorpius grumbled a bit to himself as he followed suit, feeling moodier than before. She was such a damned tease and he didn't like it. Even with his efforts to push her from his mind it meant nothing when they were finally together.

"How is this going to help us with the first task?" he asked grumpily. This was the whole reason as to why they were in the library to begin with. It wasn't like it was his go-to hangout spot. There were hundreds of other places he enjoyed more, like his bed with the company of a woman. Just about any woman would do but there was a specific red head he might not mind so much if she could get her nose out of the books.

"Oh I don't know. I don't know anything more than you do," she said exasperatedly, becoming annoyed with his attitude change. What was his problem? Oh who was she kidding? This was Malfoy after all. "maybe the headmaster was trying to help us just now. He seemed particularly cryptic."

"Or maybe you're just as loony as he is. Nothing about what he said made sense. Just a waste of time if you ask me."

"It's a lot better than sitting around and being a moody prat," she growled before gathering her stuff and standing up.

"Where the hell are you going?" he demanded to which she shot him a deadly glare.

"Away from you!" she said rather loudly, ignoring the shushing from the librarian. A moment of silence passed between Rose and Scorpius before she took her leave of the library.

For a moment Scorpius just sat stunned in his seat. What was her issue? He wasn't being moody. Frowning, he stood up as well, leaving the books where they were. She was the one being moody, getting all angry at him for no reason. He was just pointing out that they were wasting their time and this was all pointless. Why was that getting her all hot and bothered? Before he could somehow get blamed for something else, Scorpius left the library.

Sometime later, Rose found herself whipping about the Quidditch pitch on her broom. She needed to get her anger and frustrations out concerning Malfoy. The git was seriously insufferable sometimes, rather most of the time. It was rare when he displayed a moment of congeniality, especially when it wasn't brought on by some drastic event. For once would it kill him to be a kind, decent human being and not drive her up the wall?

Rose launched herself high above the field, shooting like a rocket towards the sky. Closing her eyes to shield them from the sun, she continued her ascent, allowing the wind to whip at her face and cool her. Once she felt she reached a decent height, she plateaued and hovered.

Gazing down, she realized that she had to be another fifty feet above the field. From her vantage point, she could see absolutely everything. It was breathtaking no matter how many times she bore witness to it. Just above her were a few fluffy white clouds that languidly drifted along the pale blue sky. The expansive lawns of the grounds were immaculate and a picturesque shade of green. Fall was slowly setting in as she could see some of the leaves changing colors on the trees. Even the Forbidden Forest seemed less ominous in this light.

A bit of a distance away, she could spot the greenhouses. Surrounding them were dabs of color that she recognized as the different maturing plants that grew nearby. It was hard to see inside the houses due to the light reflecting off the glass, but she knew within was an even greater variety of life and color. Within another few weeks, some of that color would fade and become drab and dreary with the oncoming winter, but she didn't want to think of that now.

Taking a deep breath of the cooling air, she held it in her lungs a moment before expelling it slowly. Up here, she felt as though she could meditate and think. Now that she was alone and without the various distractions Malfoy created, she felt that she could properly ponder the various riddles that were plaguing her brain currently.

There was something concerning the headmaster but now she could not recall what it was. There was a vague sensation that she was forgetting something. A sort of tickling at the back of her mind. The more she thought about it, the harder it was to recall what it was she forgot. Huffing irritably, she moved onto the next riddle.

What was the first task going to be? Once more she recalled the headmaster but this was easier to remember. His words were very prominent in her mind. There were definitely undertones to his declaration. Something to do with eagles and serpents. He had even mentioned something about them being significant in history and mythology. That had to be a hint. She would return to the library and check out a few books that she had in mind.

Satisfied with her answers, she smiled to herself before pitching herself forwards and plummeting towards the ground, spiraling as she did so. Laughter bubbled up from her chest as she felt the rush from the falling sensation that had formed in the pit of her stomach. This was the side of her that very few knew about. Just as it would appear that she was going to meet the ground with a forceful impact, she pulled up and flew towards the sky once more. This time she stayed within the pitch and zoomed around the perimeter.

Scorpius had been spending most of his time away from Rose trying to distract himself yet again. Hidden behind a tapestry, he was snogging another Slytherin girl who could not get enough of the fact that he was one of the champions for Hogwarts. She seemed to be enjoying the fame that clung to him and by the way that she threw herself at him, he couldn't say he quite minded.

That is until his mind drifted as the bells began to chime, indicating lunch. Having not seen Rose all day, he idly wondered if she had eaten yet. Considering the mood she had been in, he had a pretty good idea of where she was. It wasn't until the girl in his arms pulled away, a disappointed pout on her lips, that he realized he had been distracted.

"Am I doing something wrong?" she cooed as she leaned up and began nibbling his earlobe. As much as he wanted to enjoy the sensations she was trying to elicit, he ended up shrugging half-heartedly.

"Nah, kinda hungry. Gonna grab something to eat," he said dismissively as he simply walked away from her. The girl did not produce that fire within him that he was craving. He heard her calling after him but he couldn't bother himself to care enough to find out what it was.

Casually, he strode into the Great Hall, and without breaking his stride he snagged a few sandwiches and tucked them inside of his pocket within his robes. He wasn't sure why he was doing this but he felt compelled to do so as he found himself outside and headed towards the Quidditch pitch. As he neared it, he could see a figure in the shape of a person, hovering above. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as his suspicions had been confirmed. It was indeed Rose.

Making his way into one of the stands, he was about to call out and grab her attention when he felt his heart plunge into the pit of his stomach. Rose was falling from the sky at a terrifying rate but he couldn't tell if she was in control or not. Unable to look away, he was petrified at the scene that he was sure was about to unfold in front of him until he saw her pull up at the last moment. For a whole moment he could not breathe while his mind tried to comprehend what happened.

"God dammit Weasley!" he bellowed up at her as she began flying around the pitch. His heart was racing from the terror he had experienced which only made him flush both in anger and embarrassment. Why in the hell had he cared so damned much if she nearly killed herself? Why in the hell wasn't she being more careful? He was angry that she was eliciting so many different emotions in him and he could barely comprehend them all.

Rose looked around at the sound of her name being called, quiet angrily. She frowned when she noticed that it was Scorpius standing in one of the stands, looking quite upset. Her moment of distraction caused her to run into one of the large banner flags that were perched upon the top of the stands. Crying out, she found herself spinning wildly out of control for just a moment. Ungracefully, she landed in the stands near Scorpius, moaning in pain as she sprawled out, her broom having been flung a great distance away.

Guilt shot through Scorpius as he realized that he was the cause of her now hurting herself. Go figure. Clambering over to her, he went to make sure that she was okay. She was dressed in casual clothing that he assumed was for comfort purposes because they did nothing for her figure.

"You okay?" he asked as he offered her a hand to help her up. Stunned from her impact, Rose took his hand and hoisted herself up but did not let go.

"Yeah… I think so… hey wait a minute, this was your fault. What the hell is your problem?!" she yelled, her eyes wide. Why was it that whenever he was around bad things seemed to happen to her? Okay, so she had been distracted but that was still his fault in a sense.

"Nothing. Never mind," he said gruffly as he removed his hand from hers once he realized that she was still holding on.

"Oh really? Nothing? So you came all the way out here just to make me fall off my broom?" she insinuated, placing both of her hands on her hips as she leaned forward just a bit. Scorpius pursed his lips together, remaining silent for a moment before retrieving the sandwiches.

"I figured you didn't eat yet so I brought you this," he mumbled as he handed her the sandwich and quickly turned away, feeling quite embarrassed.

Rose couldn't see his face but she saw that the back of his neck was flushed. Looking down at the sandwich, she was momentarily stunned before a smile slowly spread across her lips. She supposed she could forgive him just this time.

"Thanks!" she said brightly as she sat down on the bench near him and dug into her food. Thankful that he had been so thoughtful, she hadn't even realized how hungry she was until now. Scorpius looked over his shoulder at her to which she responded with patting the seat next to her, inviting him to sit down. She was satisfied when he accepted her offer and did indeed sit down, biting into his own sandwich.

The two of them ate quietly beside on another, staring out across the pitch. It was the first comfortable moment the two of them had ever had. Normally there was a great deal of tension and animosity. Rose finished her sandwich first and simply leaned her head on his shoulder. For some reason, it felt right and when Scorpius didn't shove her away, she knew that he felt it too.

The silence continued between them. Scorpius was not sure what to say for the first time in his life. Normally he was very charming with his words but in this moment, he couldn't think of anything to say. Hell, he wasn't even sure if he was supposed to say anything. He didn't want to anger Rose like he normally did. This… compatibility felt nice and he wanted to indulge in it, much to his surprise. Acting on its own accord, his head leaned towards hers, resting comfortably.

"I think my broom fell down there somewhere," Rose said after a while, earning a slight laugh from Scorpius at the random comment. Then he recalled that it would be his fault if anything happened to it. Then he would be blamed for sabotaging the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. Just great.

"It's probably fine. We can go look for it now if ya want," he offered but made no action to move. Rose didn't either which led him to believe that she was enjoying herself currently. Tilting his head a bit, he looked over at the woman leaning against him. The sunlight was hitting her perfectly, making her eyes sparkle. Damn if she didn't look beautiful right now, even clad in her unflattering outfit.

"Yeah, we should do that," she responded but once more made no efforts to move. The two of them remained as they were for a few more moments. Their silence was shattered as a voice carried up to them.

"What in Merlin's beard is bloody going on?!" the voice demanded. Jolting into a standing position, Rose looked around to find the source of it. Rising up to their level, was Albus on her broom. She frowned as she looked around. Where had he come from?

Albus stepped off Rose's broom as he glared at Malfoy. He had been looking for Rose everywhere and wanted to check up on her. A fellow housemate of hers had let him know where she had gone. He had only seen Rose for meals since she had been announced as Champion and he had been especially worried about her when she didn't show up for lunch. His cousin was notorious for overworking herself and considering that Malfoy was her partner, he wanted to make sure she wasn't being taken advantage of.

"Al… what are you talking about?" she asked as she gently took her broom from him. His eyes never left Malfoy's, who looked as equally irritated.

"What are you doing here with him and being so chummy?" he inquired gruffly, earning a smirk from Malfoy.

"What? Worried I'm tainting her?" he sneered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Damn right I'm worried! You can't be trusted!" Albus growled as he took a step towards him. Rose sighed and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Would you relax. Jeez… we are both Champions, it's not that unusual for us to be together," she defended. Albus shot her an incredulous look. Was she seriously defending him?

"In a libarary, yes that would make sense. Hanging out here, no not so much. It's bad enough that you share a room with this bastard. For all you know he could be doing things to you in your sleep!" Albus became angered at his own thought and looked like he wanted to kill Malfoy.

"You think so highly of me," Scorpius mumbled as he glared at Potter. Yes, he might not have the greatest reputation but he would never stoop so low. "besides, I'm so far from interested you should be relieved."

Rose flinched slightly at Scorpius' response. While that was not how he seemed to act, it hurt to hear. Had he been playing head games with her this whole time? It wouldn't be uncharacteristic of him. She frowned slightly at the idea of having been manipulated.

"Let's keep it that way," Albus said dangerously before he looked over to Rose. "Hugo and Lily were looking for you too. We wanted to steal you away for a break before you went back to doing Champion things." Rose glanced over at Scorpius who was no longer looking at them anymore. He was looking off appearing bored. Apparently he didn't care if she stayed or not. Stifling a sigh, she nodded to her cousin.

"Yeah, let's do that but then I have some reading to do," she said before descending the stands with Albus. He shot Malfoy another death glare before they were out of sight. Once Scorpius was sure the two of them were gone, his face fell a bit and he sighed irritably. He thought they had both been enjoying themselves but she appeared quick to leave. So much for that.

Hating that he was effected by her disappearance, he stayed where he was for a little while more before he made his own exit. Whatever he was feeling it needed to dissipate. Even if he wanted to be with Rose, everyone in her family and his own would make sure that it never happened.

After dinner, Rose found herself making her way back to the room that she and Scorpius shared. True to Albus' word, her brother and Lily had wanted to hang out once more. It had been nice to get away from everything for a bit but she found herself sort of missing Scorpius. He had been kind and brought her lunch and they had been able to sit comfortably with one another.

Then she recalled what he said. He wasn't interested in her and it hurt more than she should have allowed. She didn't want him to be interested in her. She just wanted them to be civil towards one another. While they seemed to have become friendlier and more tolerable with one another, Hugo and her brother still held great hostilities that Scorpius reciprocated.

If Scorpius wasn't interested in her, then why did she catch him looking at her all the time? Not only was he looking at her but it was the kind of look that he gave her. It was hungry, like he wanted to devour her. His eyes held promise of unforgettable satisfaction but she would not give in. If she was going to give herself up like that it was not going to be for one night and not with Scorpius Malfoy. But none of that mattered because she didn't want him and he didn't want her.

Weakly convincing herself that was how she felt, she stepped into the room they shared. Scorpius had been at dinner only briefly and she wondered why. Looking to the bed he had claimed as his own, she saw a mass beneath the covers which she could only assume was him. Perhaps he had been feeling unwell. She felt concerned but knew that if she bothered him he would only become upset. She could imagine that he didn't like people seeing him feeling weak like that.

Heading over to the other side of the room, she sat down in one of the squishy chairs with several books in her lap. Before she had headed over, she had borrowed a few books from the library as well as her common room. She had books on serpents, eagles, and any sort of mythology that might reference them. Somewhere in the depths of literature had to be the answer that she was seeking. Books always held the answer.

A few minutes into her reading, she heard a moan sound from the other side of the room which caused her to look up. It sounded like Scorpius but it was muffled. Silence met her once more and she went back to her books. Another moment passed and he moaned again, this time a bit louder and more drawn out. Now she was becoming concerned once more. Perhaps he was much sicker than she had realized.

Another moan sounded and this time she closed her book and stood up with the intent of checking on him. She had barely walked a few feet when she noticed the mass on the bed moving. There were more muffled noises besides his moaning. It almost sounded like a slurping, kissing sound. Once more she heard a moan but it was more than just Scorpius' voice that she heard. Her eyes widening, she saw the mass move on the bed but this time she could make out two distinct figures.

A red-headed girl that she did not recognized poked her head out of the covers and proceeded to kiss and caress Scorpius. It appeared that he was not aware of her presence yet and was focused completely on the girl who was currently riding him. Adjusting herself so that she was straddling him more firmly, the girl sat up, the covers falling to reveal her and Scorpius' bare upper halves. Considering what they were doing, Rose was more than aware that they were quite naked.

The book Rose had been reading fell out of her hands noisily, which drew the attention of the couple before her. While the red-head seemed not to care, Scorpius' face went from pleasure filled to horrific surprise. He had not been expecting her to come back to the room any time soon. There was a look of surprise on Rose's face but more prominently was how hurt she was. There was no denying it. In fact, he thought he saw tears forming before she tore out of the room.

Guilt ate him so tangibly that he felt his body begin to soften immediately. He had brought the girl back with him because for a moment he felt like himself and wanted to demonstrate his vigor, as well as prove that he was not attracted to a certain Weasley. He also thought the girl might satisfy the never ending ache he was constantly experiencing. The red of her hair, he was sure, was what drew him to her at first but as soon as they were in bed he knew it was not what he was craving. He knew who he was craving but he needed to get rid of that addiction. Nothing good would come of it.

Now he just felt like a complete and total arse. Granted, there was nothing between him and Rose but the look in her eyes said otherwise. Growling angrily, he was torn against continuing what he was doing and going to find the woman who was currently upset with him. Desperate to return to the man he was before Rose came crashing into his life, he shoved her from his mind and proceeded shagging the red-headed girl who was not Rose Weasley. He forced his body to cooperate, convincing himself this was what he wanted and needed. However, after he was finished, he still didn't feel satisfied. God dammit to hell.

Rose wasn't sure where she was going but she just needed to get away. She didn't even care that curfew was approaching shortly. While she had a feeling she knew the reason why Scorpius never retired to their room for the last week, it was easy to come up with alternative reasons. However, what she just witnessed, up close and personal, was a slap to the face. It really brought home his words from earlier. He really wasn't interested in her. She wasn't sure why it felt like they were getting closer because apparently they weren't. It also brought to her attention with crystal clear clarity one thing: She was falling for Scorpius Malfoy.

Having realized this, she stopped in her tracks in the middle of the corridor she was storming down. She was developing feelings for Scorpius and it was why she was hurting so badly right now. Placing her hand on her chest, over her heart, she could feel it thrumming heavily. She was sure it was partly due to her practically running down the corridor but also the sudden realization of her feelings. Soon it was replaced with dread. There was no one she could confide this to.

Hugo and Albus would have a coronary if she even muttered the idea and she was not too sure that Lily would agree with it either, despite how good natured she was. Even if she got her brother and cousin to agree with the idea, her father was a whole other matter. While her mother, she was sure, would be supportive, her father would be convinced that she was under the Imperius Curse or something. He absolutely detested the Malfoy family and had told her since day one that he wanted her to beat Scorpius as everything.

Now she was getting ahead of herself. There was nothing she needed to tell anyone. She didn't have to act on these feelings and she sure as hell didn't have to tell anyone, despite the fact she was sure it was going to eat her up inside. Scorpius had made it perfectly clear that they were never to be anything. All she had to do was eliminate these feelings before they got away from her.

Rose knew how silly that was the moment she thought about it. Her feelings were already pretty serious but how could she be blamed? Since the beginning of the year started, Scorpius had practically been another person entirely. He could be kind and caring once moment and then a complete arse the next. If he was manipulating her, she was not sure what he could hope to gain except to torment someone who belong to the Weasley family. If that was the case, though, he would be better off continuing to fight her brother as he often did. It would be more satisfactory and instantaneous.

Then there was the matter that they were partners in the Triwizard Tournament. The tournament would last the entire year. For her entire, final year, she would have to work closely with Scorpius. She would have to work closely with someone who wanted nothing to do with her when apparently she wanted a lot to do with him. Why? Why did she have to start falling for someone so wrong for her?

The rational part of her brain was screaming at her that she was a complete idiot, procuring rational reasons to not like him. It was her heart that was crying out the loudest. The part of her that normally lost to her rational mind. Now, her emotions were taking over and she could not help but be irrational. It was an absolutely disorienting feeling. She didn't like acting irrationally and not knowing what to do. The feeling of not knowing was terrifying to her.

She pressed the heel of her hand against her eye, trying to push out the ache that was starting to form there. All of her feelings were just too much. Before she knew it, warm tears were sliding down her cheeks before she could stop them. Giving in, quietly she began crying to herself as she leaned against the nearest wall.

"Damn you, Scorpius Malfoy. Damn you to hell."


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **A/N: So, I'm gonna start off small but hopefully you guys can help me achieve my goal. I want to try to get 50 reviews before the next chapter. If you guys can make this happen, I will be eternally grateful and I will update even faster. Which you definitely want. I promise. This chapter is a bit longer so I hope that you guys enjoy.**

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 9*~**

The morning came without a warning. It was hard to even tell that the sun was up because of how dark and gloomy the weather had become. Rose refused to move from her spot on the bed. In the middle of the night, she had returned to her dorm and decided to bunk with Lily. It was not the first time they had shared a bed together but it was mostly Lily coming to her whenever she had a bad breakup. Neither one of them felt like they could talk to the boys so they often found solace in one another as sisters would. Rose knew that Lily would not ask her any invasive questions. She would wait until Rose opened up to her as she always did.

Glancing around through hooded eyes, Rose noticed that the dorm was completely empty, including Lily. It was surprising seeing as how days like this normally made everyone want to stay inside. She wondered, for a moment, if there was anything going on. Sitting up, she looked at a nearby calendar on the wall. It was Saturday which meant that there weren't any classes. Quidditch had also been cancelled for the year due to the Triwizard Tournament.

Her interest now being extremely piqued, she slid out of bed and headed to take a shower. Once she was finished, she gazed at her appearance in the mirror. There were no remnants of the night before. Her eyes weren't puffy from crying and her face wasn't red. It appeared, thankfully, that sleep had been the best healer. At least physically it was. Her heart was still aching but she knew that she was going to have to turn that around. She was not going to be that girl who wept over the sight of her romantic interest. No, she would use that hurt and move forward.

Rose had given herself the night before to feel the pain of her feelings. Now that the morning had broken, despite it being dreary, she was going to move past what she felt. She wasn't going to let Scorpius get in the way of her getting through the tournament and graduating at the top of her class. This was silly after all. She was the only one suffering and she refused to give him that satisfaction. After all, she was much stronger than that. It was time for her mind to be in control once more instead of her heart.

Surprised by her own conviction, she set about getting ready for the day. As her hair was drying, she brushed it down until it shone in the light and was soft and fluffy. As per her mother's genetics, her hair was rather bushy even when it was tame. She dressed in a bright yellow sweater and a white skirt before leaving the dorms.

As she passed through the common room she also noticed that no one was to be found. It was truly strange indeed. The common room was where everyone went to hang out especially on the weekends whether it was to relax or catch up on homework. She racked her brain and tried to recall if there had been any announcements on any events coming up. Aside from the first task for the tournament, she couldn't recall a single thing.

Walking down the moving stairs, she caught a clock on one of the landings. It was approximately eleven in the morning which was extremely late for her to have been sleeping in. That might have been why no one was in the dorms but that definitely didn't explain why no one was in the common room.

Lunch itself was going to be starting in a little bit so she figured the Great Hall would be the best destination. By that point she should be able to find someone to give her some insight on why the day was feeling so strange. Sure enough, before she opened the doors to the hall she could hear loud cheering and chattering. Frowning, Rose slid inside and was surprised to find that the tables had been moved, two to either side of the hall so that there was an open space in the middle. There was a large crowd of people surrounding something. From her vantage point, she wasn't able to see anything.

Pushing passed several people, she was more than relived when she found Lily who looked just as excited as everyone else. This was surprising because normally whatever drew the attention of the whole school normally meant someone was breaking some serious rules and being stupid. Lily didn't like foolishness just as much as she didn't.

"Hey, what's going on?" Rose asked as she tried to peek over the heads of several students. Lily turned to her, surprised at first before beaming.

"Oh hey, you're finally out of bed. It's really neat. Some of the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang are performing demonstrations of the magic that they learn at their schools. It's similar to ours and yet quite different. I feel like Hogwarts is a middle ground. Durmstrang's magic seems darker and Beauxbatons seems lighter. We seem to have a perfect mix," she explained as she tugged Rose's hand and moved closer.

As they moved so that they were part of the outer ring, Rose frowned when she saw that Albus was standing in the center facing one of the Durmstrang males. If she recalled correctly, he was one of the champions and his name was Alek.

"So… if they are doing demonstrations, then what is going on now?" Rose asked. Without breaking her gaze from the center of the ring, she smiled a bit more.

"Well, it's sort of become a dueling contest so to speak. Obviously, it's the men being egotistical and trying to demonstrate their skill. It started off with several of the Durmstrang guys and practically half of our school. It's now down to Alek, from Durmstrang and our one and only Al," she explained.

Rose frowned as she realized how potentially dangerous this could become. While it seemed to have started in good fun and sport, Albus was incredibly competitive and from what she heard, Durmstrang students weren't known for giving up. It was like dealing with the Slytherins but as a whole school.

What she also found odd was the fact that Lily was so interested. Normally, her brother acting stupid like this annoyed her. Observing the girl, she noticed that her eyes were bright and attentive while her cheeks were flushed with excitement. Following her gaze, she realized that she wasn't watching Albus but Alek. A teasing smile graced her lips as she nudged the girl.

"Hoping that Alek wins?" she teased, earning a deeper blush from the younger girl.

"Well… Al needs to be put in his place. His stupidity can't go unaccounted for," she said quickly but her gaze never left the duel.

"That reminds me…" Rose started as she leaned in towards Lily so that she could hear her better over the cheering. "whatever happened to your date with Lysander?" Lily huffed at this and finally tore her eyes away from Alek and Albus.

"Yeah that didn't work out at all. Albus found out about it before hand and did his damn hardest to sabotage it. Then when we did finally get to go on the date, it turned out he was rather vanilla. There was nothing exciting about him," she said with a sigh before looking once more to the duel. It didn't seem to Rose like she was that broken up about it. She seemed rather preoccupied now.

As she watched Alek and Albus throw spells at one another, she couldn't help but also be impressed by the skill being demonstrated by the Durmstrang male. He was someone she was going to have to pay especial attention to in the tournament. After all, he was one of the champions and if Damien Krum was even half as good as he was, they were going to make an extremely dangerous team.

Thinking about teammates had her sighing once more. How in the hell were she and Scorpius supposed to get through the tournament when they could barely stand to be around one another long enough to attempt to prepare for the task. What were they going to do for the task itself? At the rate they were going, they were going to be more dangerous to themselves than the tournament itself.

Rose couldn't stop herself from looking around the hall to see if a certain blond haired Slytherin was lurking about. She felt her heart stop when her gaze met with his, across the other side of the ring. It appeared that he had been looking for her as well. When their eyes met, however, he looked back to the duel as if he couldn't be bothered by her. Her pain instantly turned to anger and she found herself wanting to punch him. Obviously the night before hadn't bothered him in the least bit.

Scorpius had been drug along to this little event from the moment he stepped out of the Champion room earlier in the morning. Two of his friends had been waiting, rather excitedly, to haul him here. The girl he had been with the night before had left before he had even finished dressing for the day; on his own command of course. When he arrived at the Hall, he had found himself looking for Rose despite himself. Worry had begun to settle in when he didn't see her but he saw the other Weasley and Potters.

Now that she was there, he felt relief wash over him but he couldn't tell what she was feeling. He was sure that she was still pissed at him but she wasn't showing it. It wasn't in his nature to show his emotions which was why he looked away from her. He didn't want her to see that he had been worried that she didn't return to the room last night. That he had been worried that he didn't see her at all throughout the morning. No, she didn't need to know that he cared. Why did he care? He shouldn't.

"Zey are rather eempressive aren't zey?" a soft, accent voice gently spoke near Rose's ear. She could not deny the shiver that coursed through her at how smooth it sounded. Turning to look, she saw a male just a few inches taller than herself standing near her. He had light green eyes, a perfect slightly tan complexion, and chestnut colored, shoulder length hair. He was dressed in a blue outfit that she knew to be the Beauxbatons' uniform. The school was mostly females but not exclusively. There were less than a handful of males that had come along in hopes of entering in the Triwizard tournament. He was obviously one of them.

"Ah yeah, they are," she responded lamely. Mentally she berated herself for sounding like an idiot. It was Lily's turn to nudge her, waggling her eyebrows teasingly. Rose shooed at the girl, hating that she was now blushing.

"Zey have been doing zis for a vile now. It should be ending soon," he said knowingly as he looked to the duel briefly before returning his gaze to Rose, offing a charming smile. "My name is Julien" He extended his hand to hers.

"Rose. Rose Weasley," she said after a moment, having been distracted by how wonderful his voice sounded. Common words seem to just glide off his tongue and sound so much more exotic. She knew that part of it was his accent but the other part was his gentle nature. It seemed sincere which she was not used to. As she took his hand, he gently brought it to his lips and kissed her knuckles. Her flush deepened and even Lily was openly staring at the two.

"Enchanté, Rose," he breathed against her skin before releasing her hand. "Perhaps we can talk more after zis?" His eyes were hopeful and she found herself nodding, unable to say no. What was wrong with her? Since when she was she taken in so easily? Was it because she had been subjected to Scorpius' caustic mood for so long that she was taken by surprise by gentleness?

"Yeah, I would really like that," she said honestly. With a smile and nod of his head, he promised to meet back up with her before he moved away and into the crowd. Rose stared at the spot where he had been standing for a full moment before Lily's giggling broke her trance.

"Wow, what was that all about? I think he likes you," the younger girl teased as she poked Rose's flushed cheeks. Even she had to reach up and feel them. They were quite warm indeed.

"I… have no idea…" she said before looking back to the duel. Both men looked out of breath and it appeared that Albus was holding his own quite well.

Scorpius was no longer paying attention to the duel as he felt rage fill him. Some pansy boy had apparently been smooth talking Rose and she fell for it! What the hell was wrong with her?! Why was she so easily taken in? Inexplicable rage continued to pulse through him as he clenched his fist tight. He knew Rose better than that. She needed a man of substance and intelligence. The most that prick could offer her was a pretty boy smile and some flowery words.

Before he had time to contemplate his next move, the duel had ended with Potter as being the loser. Normally such an event would have him smirking gleefully, but he was just not in the mood. What he really wanted to do was to punch someone or something. Preferably the bastard who had been talking to Rose. Before his anger could get the better of him, he stormed out of the hall, shoving people out of his way.

Rose clapped with the rest of the crowd as the duel ended. She was thankful that Albus didn't appear that much worse for wear. He seemed more exhausted than anything. As the crowd dispersed, he made his way over to her and Lily, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Damn, I was close. You should have seen me earlier, Rose, I was kicking some serious arse. Took down about four Durmstrang guys. Hugo got one too," he said proudly as Hugo also came over. Rose shook her head disapprovingly.

"You know, you shouldn't be doing stuff like this. I'm surprised a professor didn't stop you. As Head Boy you are supposed to be setting a better example," she chastised but it fell on deaf ears. Albus had already started ignoring her and was talking to Hugo animatedly about their duels. Once they knew that she wasn't scolding them, they brought her back into the conversation.

"So, are you feeling okay? Lily said that you weren't feeling good due to the stress of the tournament. She said that's why you slept in so late," Hugo asked as he looked at his sister. Rose gave Lily a quick, thankful look that she had spared her before returning her gaze to her brother.

"Yeah, I'm okay now."

"Just be sure you're not overworking yourself. Take breaks. You're working with Malfoy after all. I would be needing a break every five minutes," Albus chimed in as he looked around. "I noticed that git didn't join in. Probably knew that he would get his arse kicked." Both he and Hugo sniggered at the thought. Once more Rose sighed. The more she tried not to think of him, the more he was brought up.

"Maybe he has more sense than you two. I mean honestly," she said with a shake of her head. Before the subject got to sensitive, Lily changed it.

"So, Rose has a not so secret admirer," she stated, earning a groan from Rose as both boys turned on her. Hugo, while being several years younger than her, always felt the need to be protective. She was sure her father had something to do with it. Albus was always protective, not matter what, but the two of them had always been incredibly close.

"Who is it?" Albus inquired as he looked around as though the answer would suddenly produce itself.

"A boy from Beauxbatons," Lily answered, earning another glare from Rose.

"Really? That's… interesting," Albus said slowly, sharing a look with Hugo. Rose placed her hands on her hips as she stared disapprovingly at the two.

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" she demanded before Hugo burst out laughing with Albus soon joining.

"I mean… come on. It's a mostly girl school. How manly can a guy going there be?" Albus inquired as he shared another laugh with Hugo. Both Lily and Rose rolled their eyes at their immaturity.

"For your information, he seemed like a proper gentleman which is way more than what can be said for any of the boys who go here. Secondly, as I have said before, it is none of your business who I might be interested in. So deal with it or shove off," she said irritably. Hugo sobered quickly but Albus continued laughing.

"Oh come on Rose, you can't honestly be considering this." With a glare from his cousin, he too found himself sobering. "um, right then. Good luck I guess?"

"Am I eenterupting?" Julien's voice asked as he approached the small group. He seemed a bit nervous with Hugo and Albus both staring at him intensely.

"No, not at all. Let's go have lunch outside, okay?" she said with a sweet smile as she led him away, taking some lunch with them.

"You guys need to lay off. Considering that she has to work with Malfoy, it's good for her to be around someone who genuinely cares—" Lily started. " that isn't family," she finished quickly as Albus opened his mouth defensively.

"Yeah… I guess. Could be worse. She could like someone from Durmstrang," he said as he shoved his hands into his pocket. Lily all of a sudden felt nervous and quickly excused herself to get lunch as well. Frowning, Albus watched her leave, finding her to be acting odd but that was his sister after all.

Scorpius had left the hall in a great huff, feeling aggravated and inexplicably annoyed. It was a hard feeling to shake. Deciding that maybe some air would do him some good, he headed out into one of the many courtyards the school possessed. The halls were partially enclosed by stoned archways and awnings but they opened out onto a small expanse of lawn that was green and lush. There were various shrubs and trees that dotted the grounds and in the center was a large fountain. It too was made of stone but in the design of one of the mascots of Hogwarts. This one happened to be an eagle perched on a rock with its wings spread out with the water gushing down from its open beak.

Scorpius knew that there were at least three other courtyards with the other mascots but he groaned at his luck with having found this one. It represented Ravenclaw and he could not help but recall the words of the headmaster. Of course this led him to think about the only Ravenclaw he associated with. She was the one who was currently driving him crazy.

Leaning against one of the ledges that had an opening in it like a massive window, he gazed up at the grey sky. There was no more rain but the weather was still dreary and cool. A low rumble of thunder in the distance brought promises of more rain to come. He hated how lousy he felt. Part of it, he was sure, was due to the weather but the rest was all him.

He hadn't spoken to Rose since the night before and all he kept seeing was the look of hurt in her eyes. It was all he saw when he closed his eyes and he hated that he had been the cause of it. What was he to say thought? She didn't believe him when he was being nice and why would she ever believe that he felt bad? How could he explain to her how he felt when he wasn't even sure himself.

Soft laughs disturbed his thoughts and while he normally would not take notice, it sounded familiar to him. Gazing down the hall, he saw Rose sitting with someone on a stone bench in an enclave, safely protected from the weather. Whoever she was talking to, was making her giggle like school girl. It was extremely obnoxious and it was causing him to be irritated once more. Who the hell was doing that?

Before he knew what he was doing, he was striding over to the pair. He felt his anger snap when he realized that it was the same girlie guy from earlier. Why was he encroaching on his Rose? For a moment his anger wilted as he became startled by his own thoughts. Since when did he think of her as his? Well… she was his partner and he could not afford for her to be distracted. Yeah, that was it. His anger returning, he stormed over and crossed his arms.

"Weasley, come here," he barked at her, startling the two of them. Rose's mouth gaped open at the possessive tone Scorpius was taking with her.

"Excuse you?" she gasped, her eyes just as wide as her mouth. What had gotten into him? Granted, he was normally a prick but this was new.

"Vut do you vant?" Julien inquired, looking between the two. The tension between the two of them was tangible. Scorpius glared at him as he spoke, finding his voice and accent to be annoying.

"None of your damned business. We're leaving now," he said as he reached over and snagged Rose's wrist, pulling her up. This seemed to snap her out of her stupor as she retrieved her arm, smacking his hand away.

"The hell I'm not. You don't control me. What the hell is your problem?" she growled, returning his glare.

"Zat is not 'ow you talk to a lady," Julien said sternly as he too stood up, finding Scorpius to be incredibly rude and overly possessive.

"I do believe we have a task to prepare for," Scorpius grumbled through clenched teeth. All he wanted was to get her away from that guy. It was irking him to some serious extremes that she was so taken with him.

"Oh, now you want to prepare? Didn't seem like it last night," she spat as she jabbed her finger in the center of his chest. She could not believe his audacity. She wasn't his play thing that he could toy with like a yo-yo.

"Yeah well now I do so let's go," he urged, some of his anger dispelling as she brought up the night before. She was still upset as he figured she would be.

"No, I am busy right now. Go find one of your playthings and leave us alone," Rose demanded. Between her brother, Albus, and Scorpius she was going absolutely insane. Her life was her own to control and no one else's. She wasn't even sure why Scorpius was acting the way that he was. He was acting possessive and she was not going to stand for it. She was not going to be one of his girls.

"So you're just going to fall for any guy who says nice things to you? I thought you had more sense than that. He's clearly just distracting you so that the champions for his school will beat us."

"Maybe I want to hear nice things. It would be a nice change of pace considering that all you do is insult me all day. So shove off, Malfoy," she yelled, her voice echoing in the open hall. For a moment, Scorpius couldn't find the words to say. The two of them were like oil and water. They would never get alone and they would never be able to work with each other.

"Whatever. See if I fucking care," he growled before stalking off, feeling angrier than before.

Rose didn't even realize that she had been trembling until Julien placed a steady hand on her shoulder. Looking to him, she sighed heavily as she sat back down, her lunch forgotten as she was no longer hungry. Leave it to Malfoy to ruin things for her as always. What the hell was his problem?

"I'm… sorry about that. I don't know what his problem is," she said quietly.

"Are you two… togezer?" he inquired to which Rose shook her head viciously.

"Oh no, not at all. We are just partners for the tournament. We hate each other on a normal day," she explained but even as she said so, she knew things weren't quite like that. Things had changed drastically between the two of them but even now she was not sure what to call them.

"I see. I am sorry zat 'e treats you zat way. It is terrible to be partners with someone like zat," he said sympathetically as he gave her an apologetic smile. Rose shrugged in response.

"Kinda stuck with him so I guess I will make do. Thanks though. It is nice to talk to someone who is… well nice," she said honestly before laughing just a bit. Julien smiled in return and the two of them sat down once more.

Several hours later and Rose found herself in the Champion room reading up on what she felt the first task was going to entail. It was a long shot and Scorpius could have been right and the headmaster was just babbling. However, she had a good feeling that it wasn't like that. After about an hour of research, she felt like she had her answer. Just as she looked up from her book, she saw Scorpius quietly enter the room.

Quickly Rose looked down at her book. She was sitting on the floor in front of a low table with several books sprawled out across the surface. The last thing she wanted was to deal with Scorpius' unreasonable anger. She wanted to prepare for the tournament so that she wouldn't die. They had only a few more days left before the day of reckoning came. As each day passed, she found herself becoming more and more nervous and anxious.

Without a word, Scorpius sat down at the table with Rose and opened one of the books. Rose was startled by his silence. It didn't even seem like a quiet seething silence either. He was just… quiet which she found more alarming than his anger. His rage was something she was used to. It was worrisome that he hadn't said anything and was seemingly interested in the books. Apparently, he noticed her staring because only then did he speak.

"So what are we looking at, Rose?" he asked, catching her further off guard. The amount of times he used her first name she could count on one hand and she was sure it was all from this year alone. He was acting like nothing had happened between them the night before and earlier in the day. It was better than dealing with his insanity so she supposed that she would go along with it for now. However, that did not mean that he was off the hook. She was still pissed at him.

"Um… I think I figured out the first task, if the headmaster really was giving us a hint," she explained as she moved closer to him so that she could open up a book between the two of them. Flipping through some pages, she opened one with an illustration of a creature that was the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail was a serpent. Turning the page, there was another illustration of a creature that was part eagle and part lion.

"I think it's a chimera," she explained. For a moment Scorpius was quiet as he pondered this. Considering what the headmaster did say, it would make sense. It was also unbelievably dangerous.

"I thought those things were supposed to be mythological," he said with a frown as he looked at the cover of the book. The book itself was on mythological creatures.

"Yes, I suppose they are but in theory, anyone could create a chimera with enough skill. It's not that crazy of an idea. I mean, we have hippogriffs and unicorns in our world. Nothing is truly mythological," she continued as she showed him a few more pages.

"Okay… say you are correct… how do we defeat something like this?" he asked as he propped his elbow on the table and leaned his cheek on his fist.

"Well… that's kind of the problem. It depends on what the chimera is made up of. You have to deal with it as a whole while keeping in mind its different components. So, here's what I suggest," she replied as she pulled a massive book out from under the table. It was about twice the size of a dictionary and once opened, took up half the table. After reading the cover, Scorpius groaned heavily.

"You want me to read an encyclopedia of magical creatures? Are you insane? That's like reading a dictionary or something. There is no way in hell I am going to remember any of this. Can't you narrow it down to the possible creatures it could be combined with?" he whined as he flopped back so that he was laying on the floor. Rose shook her head disapprovingly at his demeanor.

"Why do I have to do all the work? You're just as involved," she grumbled.

"Because you're smarter," he mumbled almost incoherently. Rose paused as she tried to understand what he said. No...she had to have misheard him. There was no way that Scorpius Malfoy was admitting that Rose Weasley was better than him at something.

"Do… you really think that?" she asked quietly, looking down at her hands in her lap as she all of a sudden felt embarrassed. Scorpius had to bite his tongue in order to swallow the quip that had almost shot from his mouth. He was not sure why his first instinct was to be insulting but considering what she had said to him earlier, he supposed he could try being nicer. Maybe just a smidge.

"Yeah… I do," he said simply, leaving it at that. While Rose would have loved it if he elaborated, she would take what she could get. It renewed her vigor as she then leaned over him excitedly. Her red hair gently fell over his chest as she gazed down at him.

"Well… if that's how you feel then I suppose I could come up with something, but on one condition," she said as she held up one finger and pressed it against her lips.

Scorpius was distracted with the sight of her hovering above him, her fiery hair framing her soft face as it brushed his chest. He could only imagine how those silky locks would feel against his chest. A shiver surged through his body at the mere thought. His eyes left hers for just a moment to linger on her playful smile. The thought of those lips parting and inviting him to world of mind-blowing pleasure was almost too much for his body to handle. He could just imagine those lips dipping down and indulging a certain part of his anatomy that was begging for her. Right now he was more than thankful that the lower half of his body was still hidden beneath the table. He wasn't going to be moving any time soon. It took him a moment to realize that she had said something to him. Damn his wildly inappropriate thoughts.

"Yeah? What's that?" he asked as his eyes returned to hers. The blood had been rushing to his lower extremity so he hoped that it wasn't showing in his face what he had been thinking.

"You have to keep me company and be nice while you do it," she answered. It was a silly suggestion but considering how insane he was acting earlier, it was worth a shot. The last thing she wanted to do was attempt to come up with a plan and have to deal with him yelling at her at the same time. Also, for once, she didn't want to have to work alone.

"Yeah, okay," he agreed, rather easily. Rose's eyes widened, surprised that he had agreed to her ultimatum. Whether he actually did it was a whole other story but he wasn't fighting her right now. In fact, he wasn't acting like himself at all. Concerned, she pressed her hand to his forehead. Instead of smacking it away, he merely looked at her.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" A frown creased Scropius' forehead and upturned his lips.

"Damn woman make up my mind. You said you wanted me to be nice and so I am," he grumbled, countering his current statement. He had wanted to enjoy her touch but now he was just annoyed. Perhaps that was a good thing as his body and mind seemed to have finally calmed down. Continued to grumble unhappily, he moved so that he was in a sitting position and leaning against the table. Rose became frantic.

"S-Sorry! I did just say that," she apologized before offering him a sheepish smile.

After that, the two of them went back to work. Sure enough, Rose was coming up with possible scenarios and how to combat them and Scorpius remained silent. It was the best he could do. There was no way he was going to shower her in compliments and cheer her on the entire time. That was just not who he was but being quiet instead of snarky would have to do.

Several days passed and neither Rose nor Scorpius saw much of anyone. They didn't even stay in the hall for meals. They would stop in, grab food, and retreat to their room. When they weren't studying up on different creatures, they were going over spells and techniques to use in the task. Rose really hoped that she was right about all of this otherwise they would have been training for nothing.

She knew that her brother and Albus were not thrilled about her spending almost all of her time with Scorpius but they were Champions and they had to work together. Scorpius' niceness towards her seemed to have stuck and Rose would have to say that she was enjoying the change. Granted, he wasn't praising her or anything like that, but he wasn't insulting her and she would have to say that was about as close to nice as she was going to get with him.

Before either one of them knew it, it was the night before the first task. For the first time in a very long time, Rose was feeling sick from nerves. Whenever they had exams, no matter how difficult or important they were, she always knew what to prepare for. Now, she had no real idea that was she was studying was accurate and in this case it was her life, not grades at stake.

Rose wasn't the only one worried. Her parents had been especially concerned. They had both been a part of the Triwizard Tournament when it was last held at Hogwarts. It was beyond dangerous and her uncle Harry had nearly died. Though, to be fair, that wasn't all because of the tournament. However, fighting dragons wasn't exactly a walk in the park. Her uncle Charlie was insane and so was her cousin James.

As soon as she had been made Champion, she had written her parents and let them know. While they were both worried, they were as supportive as possible. Her mother had even sent her a few books that she felt might have been of use. When she told them about Scorpius being her partner, she was sure her father had exploded on some level. His writing did not display it but she was sure that was due to her mother. They had both warned her to be careful regardless.

Sighing exhaustedly, she was walking with Scorpius back towards their room. They had been preparing especially hard all day because tomorrow was the day. While he did a good job of hiding it, she knew that he was just as nervous as she was. The tournament was bound to be even harder than the last time because now two champions per school were participating. They say that it was to prevent deaths and casualties but she had a feeling that was not the case. This was the first time in decades the tournament was being reinstated, who knew how things were going to end up?

"You gonna be okay?" Scorpius asked, noticing that Rose had gone very, very quiet. Judging from the look on her face, she wasn't going well and might even be sick. Her skin had taken on a green pallor and he found himself walking close to her in case she collapsed.

"Y-Yeah… I'll be okay. I think I just want to turn in early and sleep as much as possible," she said quietly as they walked. She hated that she was so visibly nervous, scared even but she was only human.

"That's probably for the best," he said as they reached the room. He pushed open the door and allowed for her to walk in first. The sight that greeted them was a great surprise indeed.

Waiting in the sitting room portion of the room, was both of their parents. Hermione was sitting in one of the chairs across from Astoria with Ron standing next to her. Draco stood near his wife but was currently returning the murderous stare that Weasel was giving him. Neither family really spoke to each other over the years but some things never changed. Hermione held no real ill will towards the Malfoys, despite everything that had happened in the past, but Ron refused to let go. Clearly Draco felt the same.

"Mum? Dad?" Rose questioned as she watched her mother stand up. As soon as she registered that they were really there, she rushed over to them and hugged her mother tightly. Pure joy and relief washed over her as she was embraced tightly by first her mother and then her father. Almost instantly, she felt her nerves and tension dissipate greatly.

"Mother. Father," Scorpius greeted politely. His demeanor had changed immediately and he was the same Scorpius that he had always been. Immediately, his face became stoic, not letting on that he had been so casual just moments before with Rose. However, a small smile did break his mask at seeing his mother, to which she returned. His father wasn't cruel or terrible to him but he had always been close to his mother. Regardless, he was thrilled to see both of them there. His mother stood up and embraced him and his father placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it in a welcoming manner.

"What are you guys doing here?" Rose asked her parents, looking over briefly to see Scorpius interacting with his own. She had never seen him with his family but she wasn't surprised by his sophisticated behavior. Either things were always formal or they were putting on a show. She didn't care though. She loved her family and she would never put on an act for the sake of a reputation.

"We were given a special invite to come and see you before the first task. Your uncle Harry, aunt Ginny, and James are going to be here tomorrow to see you as well. Though you won't see them until after the task is finished," Hermione explained.

"Besides, even if we weren't given the invite, your mum would have found a way to come anyways. She's been worried that you've been studying and stressing too hard," Ron added, shaking his head a bit. "and from what your brother has been writing, you have been."

Rose gave them a sheepish smile at this. She knew that her brother had been scribing her parents since the beginning of the year. In fact, she had a feeling that he was reaching them before she did which was why they were able to act calmly towards her.

"Well I am so glad you guys are here. I needed this," she said honestly as she hugged them tightly once more. She was terrified of the morning but she felt strength in her family. There was no way she was going to let them down.

While standing before his family, just a few feet away from Rose's, he could not help but notice just how different the two of them were. He wasn't sure that he could ever feel so comfortable around his family. They were loving, sure, but not in an openly affectionate sort of way. For a moment, he felt a twinge of envy. Rose was so free and open, a truly loving spirit. It was why he found himself often captivated by her joy of simple things like flying.

"Rather mushy aren't they?" Draco said disdainfully, but loud enough for Weasel to hear. They had never, ever gotten along. Lucius and Arthur never got along and it trickled down to Draco and Ron and then to their children. While Draco felt very strongly about his pureblood status, his discrimination had dampened a bit over the years. However, where Weasel was concerned, things never changed.

"What was that, Malfoy?!" Ron growled, his quick tempered nature igniting immediately. Scorpius could see instantly where Rose got her anger from. His father seemed to be enjoying the rise he was getting.

"You heard me. Such a disgusting display. Have you no pride? This is no time to get sappy. We are supposed to be encouraging our children to have strength not soften them."

"At least some of us love our children!" Ron yelled, storming over to Draco.

"Ronald!" Hermione beckoned angrily. She was embarrassed by her husband's outburst. Rose was absolutely mortified, her cheeks flushing as she looked over to Scorpius. Just when she was about to apologize, she stopped. Instead of Scorpius looking just as concerned as she was, he was looking just like his father: stoic and the Malfoy smirk in place. She felt her heart plummet. Just when she thought things had been changing, she was wrong. He would never go against his family.

"Now, now dear, enough of that," Astoria chided gently as she placed a hand on her husband's shoulder.

"You should be thankful, Weasel. If it wasn't for my son, your daughter wouldn't have a chance," Malfoy bated once more. "Isn't that right, Scropius?"

"Absolutely, father," he agreed, directing his smirk at Rose. Her mouth gaped open and she could not hide her surprise.

"You bloody bastard!" Rose spat, her own anger snapping. How dare he act like this now?! They were supposed to be working together for the morning and here he was starting a war. "you're the one who needs me!"

"Don't kid yourself. You may be book smart but you can't handle dangers. You're life has been too cushy. You've never had to fight against the Dark Arts" he sneered.

"Neither have you!" she screamed. Why was he acting like this? It was almost worse than how he used to be. She was sure some of it was for show because of his family but she was not going to take it laying down.

"Unlike you, I have been taught. My father is well trained," he said proudly, his eyes darting over to his father who slyly beamed.

"Yeah, because he followed Voldemort!" Her final cry silenced the room. While his name wasn't taboo to say, it still made people nervous. Draco narrowed his eyes on the girl but he knew better than to argue with her. Granger, as he would always know her, would hex him into oblivion if he did. While she may have been silent now, he wasn't about to test the witch who was still known as the Brightest Witch of Their Time.

Ron was absolutely seething at what had unfold in front of him. While he knew that the Malfoy brat was bad, he didn't know he was quite this bad. He was just like his father if not worse. The only thing keeping him from beating up the git was the fact that Hermione would kill him and he was not going to hit a child. Despite how full of himself he was, Scorpius was still a child. Of all the people his daughter could have been paired with, why did it have to be him?

Scorpius bit his tongue from lashing out even further. While his father seemed to be pleased with him, he wasn't happy with himself. He hated it whenever he upset Rose and he had seriously upset her, maybe even worse than the night she walked in on him in bed with that girl. Yeah, he had been putting on a show but it was to be expected of him. If his father thought that he had gone soft and was kind of fond of a Weasley, he would disown him or be disappointed with him. All he wanted was to please his father. However, he could not show remorse in regards to Rose, so his smirk stayed in place.

Rose's chest heaved as she breathed heavily. It was all she could do to not let the tears that were stinging her eyes fall. She knew that he could be a bastard but this was low of him. How was she supposed to trust him tomorrow when she couldn't even trust him now?

"I think… it's time to go," Hermione said gently as she stepped in front of Rose and Ron. Gently she ushered the two out the door so that they could have a private good-bye. She had been disappointed in the Malfoy boy but considering who his father was, it was no surprise. There was good in Draco and he had changed over the years, but the feud between his family and Ron's was everlasting. It was a shame their children had been dragged into it.

"That little bastard. Bloody spoiled prat. Just like his no good father," Ron mumbled angrily along with a string of obscenities. "you kick his arse tomorrow, Rosie. Win the task and kick his arse"

"I just might," Rose mumbled before offering her father a small smile.

"Are you going to be alright?" Hermione asked gently as she hugged her daughter tightly. Stifling a cry, Rose nodded into her mother's shoulder.

"Yeah… I will," she promised. She would make sure that she was okay in time for the tournament. There was no way she was going to let Malfoy mess things up for her. After all, her life was at stake.

"If you want, I'm sure I could call your uncle George and I'm sure he could whip up something punishing for the brat," he said with a conspiratorial gleam in his eye. Rose couldn't help but laugh at this.

"Maybe later. Thank you guys for coming to see me. It helped a lot," she said gently.

"Oh I hope so. Maybe if your father wasn't so quick tempered, none of this would have happened," she said as she shot her husband a glare. Ron wanted to argue but knew that would be unwise. Instead his mouth opened and closed like a fish's before finally staying shut.

"Whatever. Malfoy would have done it anyways," he mumbled, needing to feel like he had the last word. Hermione sighed before hugging her tightly daughter once more before leaning to whisper in her ear.

"All may not be as it seems. Don't take what he does in front of everyone to heart. I have a feeling you know him a bit better than even his family," she said before giving her daughter a knowing look and releasing her. The two had been working very closely for over a month now. That kind of time with a person had a way of changing someone. It caused them to adapt.

With a final hug from her father, Rose watched as the two of them walked down the corridor. They were clearly still arguing with one another still but she saw that their hands were linked together. One day, she hoped to find a love like that. Something eternal.

The door behind her opened and she moved just in time for Scorpius' parents to exit the room. Draco barely even looked at her but she could have sworn that Astoria gave her an apologetic before following her husband. Hating that she had to share a room with Scorpius, she stormed into the room and with a wave of her wand, created a curtain barrier around her side of the room. She might have to share a room with him but she didn't have to look at him.

Continuing her silent treatment, she gathered up her night clothes and disappeared to take a shower. Scorpius was left alone in the room. With nothing better to do, he sat on the edge of his bed. He knew that he had been a complete and total arse but he was at a loss. It was how he had to be in front of his family. Sighing, he laid back on the bed, not even bothering to dress down.

Rose came out a few moments later and didn't even look at him. Without another word, she vanished behind her curtains. The bed silently creaked as she slid under the covers. Her light went out and Scorpius felt his guilt deepen.

He might have seriously screwed both of them tomorrow.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **A/N: Wow, I did not expect that last chapter to have such controversy. Thanks for the reviews and the opinions. I hope you like the chapter! There's a lot more action in it. So I'm about 12 reviews away from my goal. Let's keep up the good work!**

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 10*~**

Overnight the Quidditch pitch had changed entirely in preparation for the first Triwizard Tournament task. The stands remained in place but were lowered and altered, shaping very similarly to an amphitheater. Sand and dirt filled the center, replacing the lush grass. Various large boulders were set in place but otherwise it was a flat and open playing field. Opposite the side of the entrance was another opening but bars were set in place as though something was being kept inside. Just outside of the entrance to the amphitheater, was a tent where the Champions currently resided. Due to magic, the inside was altered and expanded, comfortably fitting the six Champions, three headmasters, the tournament representative, and a reporter.

Each champion wore a skin tight top, similar to what athletic muggles would wear and semi-tight sweatpants. The Hogwarts Champions' pants were black and their tops had the Hogwarts crest emblazoned on the back on a colored background. The background was the four colors that represented the houses and they were quartered around the emblem. The Beauxbatons Champions were clad in light blue from top to bottom with their crest on the back and the Durmstrang Champions wore black pants and a red top with their logo on the front. Each Champion had their last name printed on the back of their tops.

The theory behind their dress code was that it would not hinder them as would robes or any other sort of billowy wizard attire. They needed to be at their best without any resistance so that no one could claim that they had performed poorly due to a wardrobe malfunction. Their wands had already been weighed and inspected for the same reasons. Everyone had an equal advantage where equipment was concerned. It was the individual skills and intellect of each Champion that would set them apart from the rest.

Currently, the headmasters from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons were speaking quietly to their champions, providing tactical and moral support. However, the headmaster for Hogwarts was chatting pleasantly with the reporter, seemingly disregarding his own champions.

Rose didn't mind at being ignored for the moment. She had to get her head on straight and prepare for the task. Her heart was pounding heavily against her chest as she mentally reviewed different spells in her head as well as all of the information she had been researching. There was no way she was going to be able to depend on Scorpius for this. She would have to carry them both and finish the task quickly and successfully.

Honestly, she was tired of all the mind games. One moment they were fighting, the next they were getting along, then they were fighting worse than before. Sprinkle in his moments of insanity and jealousy and they were a perfect recipe for disaster. How was she supposed to concentrate on this tournament when she had someone like him as a partner? The rules of the tournament stated that the Champions were supposed to only work with one another and no one else. If she wasn't such a stickler for the rules she would be tempted to brainstorm with Albus.

Now, here they were, moments before the first task and they were falling apart at the seams rapidly. She had not said a word to him since the night before but he also had not tried to speak to her either. Currently, they were both being stubborn and refusing to give into the other. Rose hoped and prayed she at least didn't die. While her ego would be taking a massive blow to lose, it wasn't worth her life.

Scorpius sat on one of the many cots that had been set up in the tent. While his demeanor was casual and nonchalant, those were the furthest feelings from his being. He was honestly nervous too. It was obvious that Rose was as she wasn't event trying to hide it. While he knew that he was incredibly talented himself, these new tasks were designed with two Champions working together in mind. He and Rose were the furthest from a cohesive unit. They weren't copasetic in the least bit.

Since the night before, Rose had not said a single word to him. Every time he tried to catch her eyes she would promptly look away. Yes, he knew that she was incredibly pissed at him but she didn't need to make things so difficult. It was not new news that his reputation was something he wanted to keep intact. How did she realistically expect him to act in front of his parents and hers? She was living in some sort of fantasy world if she thought that either one of their families would be okay with them being friendly with one another. His father and hers were a perfect example of how disagreeable their families were towards one another.

She was being just as unreasonable and it was irritating him to no end. Here she was being incredibly stubborn and allowing for them to enter the task unprepared. If they did not work with each other they were surely going to lose if not die. A frown marred his features as his thoughts irritated him more. He was not the only one to blame for their current situation and because of this, he had given up on trying to get her to talk to him.

"Tensions are running high, I see. That is to be expected though," the headmaster observed as he approached two. Scorpius looked off scoffing but Rose turned her attention to him immediately.

"Yes, sir. Things are rather tense. It is an important, dangerous task," Rose said gently, stealing a sideways glance at Scorpius. He wasn't paying attention and she found herself annoyed. If it wasn't for him they wouldn't be in this situation and he was doing nothing to fix it. Her eyes shifted over to the headmaster. Again he was dressed in normal wizard robes. This time they were a deep blue with yellow stars dancing across them. It was comical really but she wasn't going to say anything.

"You two will do fine, I just know it. Just remember that you are partners, through and through," he said with a knowing smile before drifting away to speak with the other headmasters.

"Psst! Hey!" came a harsh whisper which drew the attention of both Scorpius and Rose. Turning, Rose saw that Albus had his head poked through an opening in the tent. He was quickly beckoning her over to which she obliged. It was nice to see a friendly face.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she followed him out of the opening of the tent. Standing with him was Hugo and Lily.

"We wanted to wish you good luck, especially because you have to rely on Malfoy," he answered, gaining a nod from the other two. Rose noticed that Lily's eyes kept drifting to the inside of the tent.

"Is everyone in there?" Lily inquired.

"Yeah, why?" Rose inquired, her brow arching as she noticed that Lily's cheeks turned pink.

"I-I was just wondering if you were able to prepare alone or had to deal with the other Champions too," she mumbled. It was an excuse and she knew it but she would not call the girl out on it. In fact, she had a feeling she wanted to send good wishes to Alek, the Durmstrang Champion. The younger girl seemed to fancy him.

"Too bad you have to prepare with Scorpius. I think you should knock him out and complete the task on your own. You would probably do it better and faster that way," Hugo said, mimicking what his father had suggested the night before. Rose couldn't help but laugh a little bit.

"Yeah well… what can you do, right?" she said with a slight smile.

"Hey, Weasley, get back in here. We're starting," a gruff voice commanded from the opening in the tent. Rose sighed heavily, recognizing it to be Scorpius' voice. Albus glared angrily at the direction of his voice and Rose saw that he tightened his hand around his wand.

"Al…" she warned, providing him with a sharp look.

"Come on… just one hex. I'll disable his wand hand. Maybe if we're lucky this task will kill him," he pleased.

"Albus Severus Potter!" Lily yelled, punching her brother in the arm. "he might be a right arse but we do not kill people or wish death on them. We are better than that!"

Rose took this opportunity of distraction to slip back into the tent. It was nice to see her family once more. A small, content smile was plastered on her face as she faced Scorpius, temporarily forgetting that she was supposed to be ignoring him entirely.

"What the hell was that all about?" he growled. He wasn't even sure why he was pissed but he was. What the hell made her so special that everyone needed to see her constantly? Why didn't he have anyone who cared like that? Oh right, because he was an arsehole and apparently people didn't like that. It wasn't his fault everyone was so damned sensitive.

"None of your business, Malfoy," she responded sharply. Scorpius turned from her immediately, not wanting her to see that he truly disliked her using his surname. His name sounded much more pleasant coming from her lips. Since they had become Champions together, she would use his first name more and more and he had come to truly enjoy it.

"Whatever. Just remember what we have gone over. I don't need you screwing things up," Scorpius mumbled irritably. He was in a terrible mood and it wasn't getting any better. Sure he was part to blame but so was she and she was making it impossible to deal with her. Granted, his continued snarks weren't making things better but it was his defense mechanism.

"Whatever," Rose grumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest. She was not sure what they were waiting for but it was probably for everyone to enter the new amphitheater and get seated. The task itself was more than likely going through its own final preparations.

Looking around the tent, she could see that the headmasters were chatting amongst themselves, rather amicably. The Durmstrang and Beauxbaton Champions were huddled close with themselves on either side of the tent. Each group seemed to be going over their techniques and plans, working together even now. Every so often someone would look Rose and Scorpius' way, a look of confusion passing over their face, before resuming what they were doing.

A flush started across Rose's cheeks as she realized just how ridiculous they must seem. Her and Scorpius weren't standing anywhere near one another or looking at each other. They were the farthest from a cohesive unit and it was showing. Feeling defeated, she ended up sitting down on the far end of the cot that Scorpius was sitting on.

Scorpius could see Rose deflate before his very eyes and guilt washed over him painfully. He wanted to say something, anything that would bring that fire back into her eyes but what could he say? There was nothing he could say in such a short amount of time that would change things. Hell, even if he had an entire day to explain himself it wouldn't be good enough. They were just two very different people with different views on their families and what was important. Opening his mouth to attempt speaking, he was cut off as all the headmasters moved to the center of the tent and the representative beckoned them over.

"Gather 'round Champions. The first task will be starting in just a moment but first we must determine who goes first," the tournament representative called out.

Each set of Champions stood beside their headmaster, waiting eagerly to find out who would be attempting the task first. They had been informed that despite the order, the Champions waiting to attempt the task would not be allowed to watch. In order to make it fair, each pair would endure the same surprise as the others. This was also to test their ability to think on their feet when entering a situation with unknown variables.

"And how will it be determined as to who goes first?" the Durmstrang headmaster inquired as he looked amongst the champions. The headmaster of Hogwarts grinned knowingly as he waved his hand. Multiple colored straws appeared in his hand. Everyone, excluding Rose, gave him an odd look.

"What iz zis?" the Beauxbaton's headmaster inquired as she gazed at him quizzically. The Hogwarts headmaster made sure the bottom half of the straws were covered by his hand as he held out the straws to the group of Beauxbatons Champions.

"Seriously, what the hell kind of technique is this?" Scorpius demanded, wanting to know what the headmaster was up to. He was absolutely loony and he was further convinced that he should not be in charge of a school. Rose rolled her eyes as she nudged Scorpius in the ribs, indicating him to be silent.

"It's a muggle thing. It's kinda funny but it works," she explained as the headmaster nodded, his smile still in place. "each person takes a straw and whoever has the shortest straw goes first."

Rubbing his ribs, Scorpius grumbled irritably. This was the most ridiculous way to determine who would go first he had ever heard. It wasn't even magical which made it seem rather irrelevant for the tournament. Their headmaster was something else that was for sure but Rose seemed to like him.

When it was their turn, Rose drew the straw. Looking around, Scorpius could see that theirs was easily the shortest, followed by Beauxbatons, and then finally Durmstrang. Great, they had to go first. He had hoped that they would be last and by that point he could have maybe persuaded Rose to start being cooperative. It would appear that he was not going to have such luck.

Rose felt her heart begin to race as she realized that they would be going first. Her hand shook slightly as she handed the straw back to the headmaster. Knowing that they would be going into the first task within moments made everything seem so much more real. Taking slow, deep breaths, she did her best to calm and ready herself.

The tournament representative ushered the Rose and Scorpius out of the tent and into the blazing sunlight. Having been sheltered from the sun, Rose squinted as she walked blindly for a few moments. As she opened her eyes, adjusting to the light, she was amazed by the sight that lay before her. The Quidditch pitch had been completely transformed but still seemed to loom ahead of her massively. Her eyes shifted over to Scorpius to witness his reaction, but as usual she was disappointed. He didn't seem fazed at all. While there was a possibility that wasn't true, she wasn't going to find out right now.

As they entered the amphitheater, music could be heard marking their entrance. Soon Rose and Scorpius found themselves in the center of what felt like a gladiator arena. It was very daunting and as they looked around, both of them realized that there wasn't much for covered. There were a few boulders here and there but otherwise it would be a direct fight. Cheering erupted around them from the crowd which looked to be all of Hogwarts as well as the general public.

Rose knew that it was going to be a publicized event but seeing so many people made her feel even more nervous. If they failed, they were going to be absolutely humiliated. Scorpius seemed to realize this because for the first time, his demeanor shifted. His skin paled impossibly more than his normal complexion and he seemed visibly nervous. Rose knew how much his reputation meant to him and losing would devastate him. Recalling their fight the night before, which was due to his reputation, she felt anger pulsate through her once more. It was easier to concentrate on than her nerves. Adrenaline began pulsing through her body.

"Welcome to the Triwizard Tournament! The first task is upon us! Please welcome the Hogwarts Champions!" the representative announced. His wand was pressed against his throat so that his voice was booming. Another cheer followed his announcement before he called for silence.

"Now let us begin!" With a wish of good luck and a bow of his head, the representative made his way out of the arena.

The entrance they had walked through now closed with a loud bang as gates slid down into place. For a moment, everything was eerily quiet. All Rose could hear was her breathing and the pounding of her heart in her ears. What if she had been wrong? What if they had been preparing for the completely wrong things this whole time? The fear was very real. Not knowing what she was facing, when she was used to knowing everything, was almost debilitating.

"Keep calm," Scorpius said under his breath as his eyes were glued on the gates on the other side of the arena. Whatever they were to be facing was going to come from there. He hoped that Rose had been right and they did not prepare for nothing. If they did, he had a feeling that Rose wasn't going to help him now. He could tell that she was still angry. If that anger kept her alive, then good; let her be angry.

Rose wanted to snap at Scorpius' remark. She was doing her very best to remain calm but it was almost impossibly when she wasn't sure what they were going up against. Clenching her teeth, she was about to yell at him when the ground around them began to rumble. Both of them swayed and stumbled as the rumbling became more tremulous and powerful. Suddenly they were sprayed with dirt and sand as something erupted from the ground.

It appeared that the gate was merely deception as what they were fighting emerged, covered in dirt and sand. Dust from the rubble flowed out across the arena and overtook the two champions. Both of them were coughing as the dust slid into their lungs and the specks of sand and dirt stung their eyes. For a good moment, neither one of them could see until the dust began to settle.

"What… the hell… is it!?" Scorpius coughed out as he did his best to clear his vision to prepare for whatever was about to attack them. He thought he heard Rose say something between her coughs but couldn't make it out. Right after, the dust was blown away and he figured it must have been an incantation of sorts.

Standing before them was indeed a chimera. It stood a good a ten feet tall and towered over the both of them easily. They were swallowed up by its shadow almost immediately. Before them stood a beast with the top half its body and arms as that of a massive human. Its lower half was that of a bull, covered in shaggy auburn fur and hooves. The image was very close to that of a Minotaur. However, unlike a Minotaur, where its head was supposed to be was three large ebony serpents, their scales glistening menacingly in the sun. Each one opened their jaws wide and hissed viciously, revealing long, piercingly sharp fangs. From its back sprout massive wings like that of an eagle.

Rose's eyes widened in horror at the sight before her. Suddenly what the headmaster had said made complete sense. Not only was he telling them that they were going to be fighting a chimera, he was also telling them what kind of chimera they would been fighting. Of course, they had done some researching into how to fight a massive eagle or serpent but in the history of chimeras there had not been anything even close to what they were fighting.

The chimera hissed at them once more and lunged at them, moving with great speed for a creature of its size. Rose dodged left as Scorpius dodged right, effectively splitting the two up as they ran to move as far away from the beast as possible. Rose was able to duck down behind a boulder but where Scorpius had run was open space. He cursed at his terrible luck and clearly just as terrible choice. He barely had a moment to think as the chimera immediately began charging at him. Yes, the spells that he and Rose had gone over might have a chance but they needed to use them together. On his own, how was he supposed to take this thing down?

His thoughts were once again interrupted as one of its massive hands came at him, narrowly missing him by a few inches as he jumped out of the way, landing rather unceremoniously on his arse. Cursing, he was forced to roll away as one of the serpent heads extended and attacked him, eating dirt instead. He rolled back the other way as the other head attacked. Looking up at the chimera, he said the third head poised and ready to attack. Finally drawing his wand, he shot a stunning spell directly into its face. This bought him enough time to scramble to his feet and run away again.

"Are you going to help me or what!" he yelled to Rose, wondering where the hell she was. Was she really turning coward now? Great, just freaking great.

"I'm working on it!" she yelled back but he couldn't see her. She had to be hidden amongst the boulders. Grumbling to himself he tried to get a bearing on his surroundings. There was absolutely nothing to help him. His only hope was Rose who was not being all that helpful. Frowning, he looked around for the chimera but did not see it. How could a ten foot beast just disappear like that?

He didn't have long to ponder that as the sun was all of a sudden blotted out. Looking up, he saw the beast effortlessly hovering in the air. It amazed him that those wings were actually functional and able to lift the damned thing. Once more it came hurtling down at him, this time from the sky. Unable to move away fast enough, Scorpius was tackled almost full force. For almost a full minute he couldn't breathe as the air was knocked out of him and he felt the crushing weight of the beast on him. He was sure he now had several cracked ribs.

"Scorpius!" Rose cried out as she saw Scorpius fall. She needed to move faster but it was hard to concentrate when she was worrying about him. There was a rather complicated spell she was trying to conduct but every time she would get mostly through the incantation her thoughts were interrupted. It would have to wait once more. Scorpius was going to die if she didn't get out there and actively do something.

"Little help here," Scorpius choked out. He was unable to move as he was pinned beneath the beast. The serpent heads hissed menacingly, opening and closing their jaws with the threat of attack. "Now Rose!" he yelled, fearful that he might actually die within the next few seconds.

"Hold on dammit!" she yelled as she rushed towards them, her wand in hand. Flicking it furiously, she shot a fireball at the back of the Chimera. It hissed in pain and turned its attention towards her now. Leaving Scorpius alone, it began charging at her.

"Oh shit," she mumbled as the beast was upon her within seconds. It was too fast! How could something so massive move so quickly? How could they put something like this in the tournament? Sure it was meant to test their skill but she had thought they wanted to reduce casualties. This thing was impossible to battle. Even if she and Scorpius were more cohesive she didn't think they would stand a chance. Fear paralyzed her as she the realization of how futile this task was overwhelmed her.

"God dammit, move!" Scorpius bellowed as he shakily made it to his feet, clutching his ribs. What was she doing? She was going to get herself killed!

Rose's scream echoed throughout the arena as she was flung away from the chimera, landing painfully against one of the boulders. Scorpius felt his heart drop into his stomach at the sound. It was the worst thing he could have heard coming from her lips. His body broke out in a cold sweat as he didn't see her move. She was laying with her back against the rock and her slumped down against her chest.

"Get up…. Get up…" he whispered to himself as he began walking towards her in a stunned daze, slowly picking up pace. The crowd had gone deathly silent.

"Rose, get your arse up!" he bellowed, breaking the silence. This drew the attention of the chimera who hissed at him yet again. Anger pulsed through him at the sight of the beast. One way or another he was going to kill the damned thing. Despite the pain that coursing through him just from breathing, he moved to face the beast.

Moments passed before Rose felt herself regaining consciousness. The last thing she remembered was pain in her chest from being hit and then more pain exploding across her back as she landed against the rock. Having landed against a rather sharp edge, she knew that she was bleeding. She could feel the warm liquid sliding against her skin. Her head was throbbing painfully from the impact as was almost everywhere else in her body. What brought her too, however, was Scorpius' voice. There was absolutely terror and concern lacing it.

"Scor….pius…" she mumbled hoarsely as she looked up, her vision blurred. Red came into her sight and she shakily wiped at her eyes. Gingerly touching her forehead, she winced at how tender it was but groaned as she saw blood coating her fingers. Despite her agony, she found herself forcing her body to stand.

"Scorpius!" she called out, more loudly this time as she steadied herself before making her way towards him.

Relief washed over Scorpius as he heard her sweet voice. Thank Merlin she was alive! The momentary distraction, however, cost him as one of the serpents sank its fangs into his shoulder. Cursing loudly in pain, he punched the damned thing in the head, breaking its hold and one of its fangs. It was embedded in his shoulder and he hoped that it was not poisonous.

"Stay away! You can't fight!" he growled as he dodged another strike from one of the other heads. He pointed his wand at the beast and blasted it with a spell that caused several lacerations to form across its chest. It hissed in pain and stumbled back.

"You need me! We can't keep doing this!" she yelled as she finally made her way over to his side.

"You have been absolutely useless! You need to stay out of this and let me handle it!" he growled. He had been so worried about her and all she was doing was getting hurt. She was not strong enough for this and if he continued to concentrate on her, he was going to die and ruin both of their chances at survival.

"Screw you! I can and will do this!" she cried determinedly. There was no way in hell she was going to let Scorpius get all of the credit. She was not weak or useless.

For a moment the two of them glared at one another. They were both being stubborn and this was far from the time to be acting as such. Rose wanted to strangle Scorpius and from the look on his face he felt the same. It was either that or pain, or both. Their argument was cut short as the chimera swung one of its massive arms at the two. This time they both dodged in the same direction and groaned in pain. Scorpius' ribs were killing him and Rose's everything was hurting.

"We need to take it down element by element, remember?" Rose called out as the beast lift itself into the air, pounding its great wings with ferocity. The gusts of air from his ascend caused powerful little tornados to sweep around them, knocking them off balance.

"I vote the wings first," Scorpius growled as he aimed his wand at said wings. The chimera moved quickly from his line of view. Doing this caused the sun to shine directly in Scorpius' eyes, blinding him.

"Aargh!" he groaned as he began rubbing his face against his arm. The damned thing was smarter than he gave it credit for. Rose snickered a bit next to him and he could not believe the audacity. Did she forget that they were both supposed to make it out alive? He was pretty sure they would dock points if one of them did not live.

This time Rose aimed her wand, taking great care to follow the creature as it moved through the air. She was fascinated by its existence but she knew that she did not have time to dwell on it. That would have to wait until later when the task was completed. Returning to her current endeavor, she shouted an incantation.

" _Incarcerous!_ " Thick black cords shot out of her wand and tangled around the wings of the beast, promptly dropping it from the sky with a loud thud. The ground beneath them shook a bit and a new cloud of dust formed. She took a deep breath as she tried to steady her breathing.

Scorpius would have to say that he was impressed. It was definitely a higher level spell and she performed it splendidly. All she needed was her fire back and she was the Rose Weasley that he knew and had come to admire. She just had to keep that up and not allow for fear to take hold of her again. That was not to say that he didn't feel his own level of apprehension but he knew how to control it better. In situations such as this, it was an absolute necessity.

"Okay, so we took out the wings. We need to stop his arms and the heads," Rose said as she began calculating their next plan of action while the chimera was temporarily incapacitated. Her mind began cycling through her arsenal of spells. She didn't want to kill the thing either. It was still a living creature despite being dangerous.

"How about something explosive?" Scorpius suggested with a grin as he withdrew his wand, to which Rose lowered it, shaking her head.

"No! I don't want to kill it…" she said with a sad look. Scorpius was taken aback for a moment. She was too kind for her own good.

"I think… that's what we're supposed to do," he said a bit more gently. She shook her head once more.

"No, I won't do it. We will find a way to incapacitate it enough to qualify. When my uncle was in the first tournament he didn't have to kill anything. In fact…when he fought the dragon…" her voice trailed off as she approached the chimera, which was writhing on the ground and attempting to free its wings.

"H-Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Scorpius yelled as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. She winced from the sudden jolt to her body.

"There has to be something we need to retrieve. It must have something," she observed and he let go of her wrist. She had a point but what could it possibly have? It wasn't holding anything that he could see.

"Where and what could it be?" he asked to which she shrugged, indicating that she didn't know either.

The chimera got back up on its feet, having given up on freeing its wings. It was furious, all three head hissing at once and swaying in a mesmerizing dance. Rose found herself distracted, almost in a trance. Her eyes were following their movements, locked with their golden ones. The beast began walking towards her slowly to which Scorpius turned to run but found that Rose wasn't paying attention. Frowning, he grabbed her arm and tried tugging her, tow which she resisted.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked frantically, the chimera drawing nearer. It was then he noticed the hypnotic dance it was performing. Rolling his eyes, he swung her up into his arm, groaning at the pain it put on his ribs and ran for it, breaking her eye contact.

"W-Wait! What's going on?" she asked as she noticed that she was being carried and Scorpius was running.

"You're not paying attention that's what. See, I told you that you couldn't do this," he growled through clenched teeth. Rose began fighting against him, commanding that he put her down. Her struggling plus his wounds had him tumbling over with her. He had enough sense to turn as they fell so that she would land on him. Pain exploded in his chest and for a moment he couldn't breathe but it was better than landing on top of her with her injuries.

"Merlin you're such a pain in my arse," he gasped. Rose finally took stock in the injuries and current condition of Scorpius. His breathing was raspy and there was blood staining the side of his shirt. He had sustained several bruises and scrapes anywhere that she could see skin. Instantly she felt bad. He was just as hurt as she was and he was fighting hard.

"I-I'm sorry… I'll do better, I promise," she said as she pressed her hands to his face and tilted it to look at her. She was inspecting him for head trauma but he found himself immediately distracted by her touch. For just a moment he forgot that they were in danger and fighting for their lives. All he wanted was her soft, gentle touch. Her eyes were sad and he could tell that she was blaming herself for his condition. While part of it was her fault, it was not entirely.

"I know, come on, let's go," he said as he forced himself to sit and with her help, to stand. Her touch left him and he instantly missed her warmth, but they had a task to finish. They didn't have time for this despite how badly he wanted it.

Once more the chimera came charging at them but this time, Scorpius was prepared. Aiming his wand at the offending creature, he shot a spell at it.

" _Impedimenta!_ " he shouted as a blue light burst from his wand and hit the beast square in the chest. It was too large to go flying but it did cause it to stumble. It tried charging once more but the jinx he had cast slowed its movements down, making it appear as though it was moving in slow motion. He breathed a sigh of relief. This would buy them approximately ten to fifteen seconds. With Rose's help, they both bound the beast with the spell that was used earlier. Black cords wrapped around the beast tightly.

"I don't know if that's going to hold, but one of us is going to have to keep jinxing it while the other retrieves the item," Rose instructed. Scorpius nodded, not fighting her at all. If they worked together as they were supposed to, they would defeat this thing.

In slow motion, each of the serpents' heads opened their mouths wide and hissed. Due to the fact that they were moving so slow, Rose was able to get a good look at them. One of them was missing a fang, which she realized was still in Scorpius. If he removed it, he would instantly begin bleeding out. Thankfully it didn't look poisonous. As she looked closer at the serpents, she noticed a glimmer of something in the far left one. Something was attached to the roof of its mouth. Without thinking about it, she tried to reach for it, just as the jinx wore off. Scorpius wasn't fast enough to cast the next spell before it clamped down around her arm, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Rose! _Impedimenta!_ " he bellowed and the creature was slowed once more. Blood was running down her arm and he rushed over to help her. Despite her protests of not wanting to kill the creature, he blasted the snake at the neck and it fell apart. Rose removed the head of the serpent that was still attached to her arm and then opened her hand. Inside was a gold coin about the size of her palm.

"What is this?" she asked through clenched teeth, very much so in pain. Scorpius took it from her so that he could examine it.

"A coin of some sorts. You think this was what we were supposed to find?" he asked.

"I… think so…" she said but was distracted as the jinx wore off once more and the spot where the serpent's head had been came a sickening, gurgling noise. Sprouting forth from the stub were three more heads. Now they had five heads that they were fighting.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Is this thing also part hydra?!" Rose screamed to which Scorpius couldn't help but smirk at her language. She never lost control but this was beyond her.

"So… what was that about not killing it?" he sneered. She wasted no time in smacking him, despite how much they both hurt.

"We can't kill it. You can't keep slashing at it or removing its heads. They grow back in numbers. We have to incapacitate it somehow," she said as she looked around and then it hit her. "that's what that gate is for! We have to trap it behind it somehow!" Excitement lit up her face at the newfound plan. They had the coin, now they needed to seal the beast away.

"So… one of us runs inside, traps it in there, and runs out," Scorpius offered, making it sound so simple. Rose was about to counter when all six heads began striking at the same time at them. The beast's arms were still bound and she hoped that it would last. They had both cast the spell after all. Both of them were forced to break into a run.

"Yeah… I guess… somehow…" Rose said as she panted. Scorpius didn't let her attempt to come up with a different plan. He broke off from her and began running towards the gate. Panting heavily, he turned so that he was facing the chimera. Waving his hands over his head, he tried to get its attention.

"Hey! You ugly bastard! This way!" he yelled but growled as the beast paid little attention to him. It seemed to want Rose and continued following after her. Huffing irritably, he shot a spell at it, once more trying to draw its attention. However, the spell ended up hitting more powerfully then he intended, due to his irritation, and it severed one of the other heads. His eyes widened at his mistake.

"Well….shit…" he mumbled as more heads sprouted. Rose gave him an absolute death glare as she was now forced to run from seven serpent heads now.

"How about you do something useful! Quit creating more heads!" she screamed as she continued to evade the beast that was after her.

"You can do this then! It likes you better," he yelled back. Rose changed her direction and did indeed head back towards the gate.

"Open the gate!" she called out as she ran full speed, her lungs feeling as though they were going to burst. Everything hurt so badly and it was taking everything in her will power to keep from passing out.

"H-Hey, wait I didn't mean it! It's too dangerous for you!" Scorpius yelled once more. He didn't want her to be in such close quarters alone with that thing. She wasn't giving him a choice however as she ran past him. Barely having time to react, he flicked his wand in the direction of the gate and it shot upwards. The chimera trampled past him as though he didn't exist. Why did it want Rose so bad?

Rose nearly ran into the back wall of the chamber that was behind the gate. She had seriously underestimated how much space was there. In fact, she was going to be lucky if the chimera fit in alone. How was she going to squeak back out and keep it in place? A scream tore from her throat as she turned around in enough time to see the chimera upon her. It had burst from its restraints and overwhelmed her. Before she knew it, she couldn't breath as its hand closed around her throat.

"ROSE!" Scorpius bellowed as horror filled him once more. He had to save her but what could he do? The beast took up the entire enclosure and if he wasn't careful with his spells he could potentially hurt her too. Growling, he ran over to them, shooting various spells at the creature's back in hopes of getting it to let go. Then it hit him as to why it was attacking Rose so viciously.

"Throw me the coin! That's what it wants!" he called out. Rose gasped for air and could barely hear Scorpius over the sound of blood rushing through her ears. Her vision was dimming and it was becoming harder and harder to stay conscious, which she had already been fighting. With a shaky hand, she threw the coin underhand and watched as it rolled away towards Scorpius. Almost immediately the chimera released her and she collapsed on the ground, wheezing and grasping at her throat.

Scorpius stepped on the coin to keep it from rolling any further and then pocketed it. He had just enough time to duck as the beast had already closed the distance and was swinging at him. No sooner had he ducked then each serpent began striking, attempting to bite him. One managed to clamp down on his unwounded shoulder and another dug it's fangs into his side. Crying out in pain, he used a spell to blast the serpents away. He was thankful it had not severed the heads but rendered them unconscious.

"Rose, get out of there!" he growled through clenched teeth as the pain overwhelmed him for just a moment. Thankfully, he saw her crawl out of the chamber and lean against the wall besides the opening. He saw her panting heavily, blood oozing from a wound somewhere that he could not see. They needed to finish this before they were both done for.

"You want this? Go and get it!" Scorpius sneered as he launched the coin in the chamber. The beast chased after it immediately but due to its size and speed, collided with the back of the chamber just as the coin bounced off. It was smart but apparently not that smart. The coin seemed to make it forget everything else. The coin rolled out of the chamber and outside of the gate just as Rose used the last of her strength to slam the gates shut. Both of them held their breath as they waited to make sure that the gate would hold. They knew that it was over as a loud alarm echoed throughout the arena, signally the end. Immediately following, the crowd began cheering thunderously.

Scorpius stumbled over to where Rose was sitting before relief, pain, and exhaustion overwhelmed him and he sat down hard next to her. Saying nothing, Rose took his hand and held it in hers, resting it on her lap. Scorpius squeezed her hand in return as he leaned his head back against the wall. They had finally finished. They had defeated the chimera and ended the task.

With one final look to each other, Rose and Scorpius promptly passed out where they were, hands still intertwined.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **A/N: Yay! Thank you for getting me to my goal of 50 reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Okay let's try for 100 now! You guys make me feel so awesome. I like knowing that people are reading and I like your thoughts. Please keep reviewing!**

 **To the reviewer (listed as guest) who read all ten chapters in one day: Thanks for the dedication! I like that you loved the story so much as to read it all in one day. It's very flattering. :)**

 **I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!**

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 11*~**

Sometime later, Rose found herself waking up in the hospital wing. She wasn't sure how much time had passed but she was thankful that clearly she was still alive. Her body ached but it didn't feel as though she had any major wounds. The nurse must have already healed everything that was wrong with her. However, she could not take away the exhaustion that was plaguing her despite however long she had been sleeping. Groaning, she attempted to sit up but was promptly, yet gently pushed down.

"Hey, you need to rest," Albus said to her as he made sure that she was laying prone once more.

"Where's Scorpius? Is he alive?" she asked. He was the first thought that crossed her mind and she could tell from the look on her cousin's face, that he wasn't fond of that.

"Yeah, unfortunately. He's sleeping too but he's alive. He's over there," he replied, indicating to a bed that was approximately two beds away from hers. Turning her head to follow his pointing, she could see that he was telling the truth. Scorpius looked as though he had been healed as well. Looking at the two of them, no one would be able to tell that they had just finished fighting a chimera.

"Don't say that. He helped out too and was in just as much danger," she chastised as she returned her gaze to Albus. A heavy sigh escaped him.

"Yeah but he was terrible a protecting you. My mum and dad looked as though they were going to have a fit when you were knocked against that boulder. You don't even want to know the things your father was shouting. It was awful Rose. You scared the hell out of us," he said quietly, his voice quivering a bit with emotion. His eyes had become glassy and watery, forcing him to look down at his hands so that she would not see how upset he was.

"It…. wasn't just his fault… neither one of us was working together well," she said softly as she reached out to gently place her hands on his.

"That may be so… but it's my fault that you even entered this stupid tournament. If I wasn't being such an idiot, thinking that this would set me apart from my father, you wouldn't have joined. You're always trying to protect me. I don't deserve it," he said quietly. Guilt had been plaguing him from the moment that Rose's name was drawn from the Goblet. At first it was because she was stuck working with Malfoy all the time and he knew just how terribly he treated her. However, after seeing the first event, it finally sunk in his mind just how truly dangerous this tournament was. It had been his fault that she was in danger and hurt.

"Al… don't think like that. It was my decision to enter either way and… to be honest, I had already been considering it. You know that I have moments of recklessness. Granted, they aren't as frequent as yours, but they are still there," she assured gently. Albus sniffled a bit but offered her a bright smile. As he opened his mouth to say more, the doors to the hospital wing burst open.

"Rosie!" Ron yelled as he rushed over to see his daughter, Hermione close at his side. The two of them had been beside themselves with worry from the start of the tournament until now. Lily and Hugo followed behind them before Harry and Ginny also made their entrance. James took up the rear as he squeezed in to try and see his cousin.

Rose could barely comprehend what anyone was saying as everyone was talking at once. Both her brother and Lily squeezed in so that they could hug her tightly. After allowing everyone to give her a hug, she had to take a deep breath. It felt like they might be the death of her instead of the tournament. Not that she would have it any other way. A smile never left her face as she gazed at her family. It made her heart swell with love and pride to know that she had so many people who loved her and were worried about her. Even James had come to see her and he had been in Romania with their uncle Charlie.

"Thank you guys for coming to see me. I promise that I am okay, really," she assured them.

"Of course you're okay. You didn't have my brother as a partner," James teased as Albus made a pass at him, trying to knock him in the head. James easily side stepped him. "Aw come on. I handle dragons. You're going to have to be faster than that." A soft round of laughter erupted from everyone. The Potter boys' antics did well to lighten the mood.

"I can't believe they still allow for the games to be this dangerous," Harry, who had been quiet, spoke up. He was recalling his own misadventures with said tournament. Granted, he wasn't supposed to have been attending. He was three years too young and inexperienced and then there was the whole matter with the graveyard. Even to this day, even with Voldemort gone, he would have nightmares sometimes as he remembered that night.

"I thought that's why they now have two champions? To fix that," Ginny said, a frown forming on her face.

"Maybe it would have worked if her partner worked with her," Albus mumbled irritably under his breath. He really hated Scorpius and felt that the git could have done better.

"You stop that!" Ginny hissed, smacking her son upside the back of his head disapprovingly. While her own brother may have continued to feed into the Malfoy-Weasley feud, she did not. For some reason, her boys didn't seem to listen to her, either. Albus complained to his mother about her treatment of him but it fell on deaf ears.

Scorpius had been awake for some time now. It was especially difficult to sleep with the large amount of Potters and Weasleys that had flooded the room, being less than subtle. As much as he wanted to be annoyed, he couldn't. Rose deserved the love of her family and their exuberance. For a moment, he felt a pang of jealousy. His family was never that affectionate with him. Sure, as a small child, they were but as he grew up it lessened. They still loved him and worried about his safety but it was nothing compared to what Rose had. He knew that she had more family that worried and loved her. In that sense, he was thankful it was just this bunch. She had a massive family.

Before he had a chance to pretend he was sleeping, he was caught staring by Rose's mother. Her gaze caught his and to his surprise, she walked over to him. No one else seemed to notice that she had left the group but he was thankful for that. He was fully prepared for her to start yelling at him for not protecting Rose. It seemed like that was what everyone in her family wanted to do. Hell, it was what he wanted to do. Despite their differences, it was still his duty to ensure her safety. That's what partners did.

"Mrs. Weasley, I'm –" he began but was promptly cut off when Hermione leaned down and embraced him tightly. He couldn't have been more shocked. In fact, he felt his cheeks turn red immediately and he was at a loss for words. What was he supposed to do? Was he supposed to hug her back? If he pushed her away he was sure every male in her family would hex him into oblivion simultaneously. Instead, his arms remained locked at his side, awkwardly as she embraced him.

"Thank you, Scorpius. I know you and my daughter do not always get along but I could see that you were trying. She can be as stubborn as her father as I am sure that have realized. You two have a lot of work to do if you're going to be successful partners, but I know you two will succeed," she said gently, causing his cheeks to burn hotter. He didn't deserve her praise and he knew it. She had been there when he was being a right arse in front of her and his family. Once more he went to speak but as she released him, she shook her head.

"I am more than aware of the kind of person your father is. Granted, he has changed over the years, but some things will remain. Just… try not to let your family rule everything. It's what I tell Rose and she's my own daughter. You are allowed to be your own person, despite if it goes against what your family thinks," she continued. She flashed him a very warm and motherly smile. All he could do was look up at her, feeling speechless. As she turned her back to leave, he finally found some words.

"Thank you…" he said quietly. She said nothing but he knew that she heard him.

It was the first time, in a long time, that someone had made him feel like this. Made him feel as though he could be his own person with his own expectations. His father and mother did encourage him to be his own man but there were still unspoken expectations. He was a Malfoy after all. While his father didn't share the same pureblood prejudices as he did in his youth, he still thought rather highly of himself.

His grandfather, Lucius, was a whole other story entirely. He was very stuck in his ways and when his father wasn't around, it trickled down to him. He felt that, sometimes, his grandfather wanted him to be the man that his father didn't turn out to be. His father was a great man, there was no doubting that, but he had a feeling that his grandfather had other plans.

In fact, his father never really talked about his past or growing up. Most of what he did hear, came from his grandfather and then in turn, his father would reveal something. He didn't think that his father was proud of who he used to be, but to a degree, he was stuck in his ways too. It was really brought home the night before. His father and Rose's father would never get along, despite how much, he was sure, the two of them had changed. It was hard for that to stay separate from the families. It was why he acted the way he did and why the Potter and Weasley boys behaved as they did.

Whenever he was alone with Rose, he could see that she didn't want to be that way. Her family meant the world to her but they expected her to behave a certain way just as his family did She was just a much stronger person than he was. On more than one occasion, he had seen her battling with her family. Recently, he had seen her stand up for him. The least he could do, for her during this tournament, was return the courtesy. Problem with that was, her brother and cousin would never allow it.

Just as Hermione returned to her group, the doors to the hospital wing opened once more but this time it was Draco and Astoria who walked in. They briefly glanced over at the massive group surrounding Rose's bed but continued on until they stood at their son's bed. Once Draco's back was to the Potter/Weasley group, then did he allow his demeanor to shift. His gaze softened and concern was plain on his face. Astoria leaned over and hugged her son tightly.

"Thank merlin, you're safe. I was so worried about you," she said gently as her embrace tightened. Scorpius knew that he should have been embarrassed but it was nice to have just a fraction of what Rose was experiencing. As soon as his mother pulled away, his father clapped him on the shoulder in a fatherly gesture.

"You performed terrifically. Your skills have come along splendidly. You will have no trouble exceeding your N.E.W.T.S.," he complemented before his gaze softened still. "I am thankful you have recovered. I was also worried." Scorpius swallowed hard at his father's heartfelt confession. They weren't like this with one another normally, it was nice to be reminded that they were in fact still a family.

"Thanks. Rose helped too. She's… brilliant," he said gently, almost inaudibly. Considering how his father reacted to her father the night before, he was concerned that he was possibly setting off a bomb by mentioning her. To his surprise, his father smirked just a bit in an agreeable manner.

"It's no surprise. Her mother, as we were growing up, was known as the 'brightest witch of her age.' I would expect nothing less," he explained. Scorpius could do nothing else but nod. Once more he was speechless. His attention was diverted, however, when he heard Rose speak.

"So… how long have we been in here?" she asked. It was hard to tell how long she and Scorpius had been resting. The most that she could tell was that it was late afternoon due to the orange light filtering into the room.

"A little over a day. Both of you passed out just as you finished the task. You had to be carried out on stretchers," Lily explained. They had also found the two holding hands but she wasn't going to bring that up. Tensions were already high with the Malfoy family being just a few feet away. While her father and mother didn't seem bothered, her brothers and uncle kept shooting them death glares. More towards Scorpius' father than mother.

"Wow… has it already been that long? What… what was the result of the task?" she asked quietly. Even Scorpius found himself holding his breath as he waited to hear what happened. He didn't even care that he was looking over at them directly now. It was just as much his right as it was hers to know the results. His father and mother turned in their direction as well. Hermione pinched Ron's arm sharply to keep him from saying something stupid. As he rubbed his arm defensively, he turned his attention back to his daughter.

"Well… you really did do amazing, Rosie. Honestly, I don't know what they were thinking," Ron started before trailing off, lost in his own babble. He didn't like the idea of hurting her. Hermione shook her head, sighing before she stepped in.

"Durmstrang came in first, Beauxbatons came in second, and unfortunately you two came in last," she said gently as she took her daughter's hand into hers and rubbed it comfortingly.

Rose felt her heart plummet into her stomach at the news. While she had a feeling they didn't come in first, she really didn't think they had done so terribly as to end up in last place. Her eyes shifted over to Scorpius and saw that his face bore the same expression as hers. He was just as surprised and disappointed. Once more she returned her attention to her family.

"What did they take marks from?" she inquired. This time, James answered.

"It was stupid really. They said that you two completed the task the slowest. I think you did brilliant considering you were fighting a bloody chimera after all. Most people can't say they have done that in their entire life, let alone at seventeen," he grumbled.

"The judges did say that were impressed with the wand work and spells as well the quick thinking… but that you two lacked proper teamwork. Which I think is absolutely ridiculous considering that someone is a large pain in the arse and a bloody bastard," Albus quipped, shooting a glare over at Scorpius. Scorpius was still recovering from the shock of landing in last place to even bother responding.

Draco wanted to say something but he was not going to argue with a child. It appeared he didn't have to as the boy's mother smacked him over the head. A smirk appeared on his face but once more he said nothing. At least someone was attempting to keep his arse in line. There were too many Potters and Weasleys. He was not stupid enough to cause a fight under these circumstances.

"One more word out of you and you can leave," Ginny growled as she glared at her son. Albus promptly shut up but was not happy about it.

"Then… there's the fact that the both of you passed out right afterwards before even leaving the arena," Hugo said gently, having been the only one who had not spoken. "and I think that's insane because you guys were lucky to be alive."

Rose groaned heavily as she took in all of the information. Had the other two schools really beaten that task before they did? She was sure they had done fairly well considering. According to everyone, the schools had beaten the task in half the time they did. While no one said it, she was sure it was due to the fact that each school worked well with their partner. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Had she and Scorpius been a cohesive unit, they would have found the coin immediately and retrieved it with very little damage done to one another. Then they would have realized they had to trap the creature sooner. Instead, they were acting mostly on their own until the end. It was an awful feeling but she was partially to blame just as much as Scorpius was.

Guilt began eating away at Scorpius almost immediately. Rose wasn't saying anything but he knew that she blamed him. While it wasn't all his fault, a good portion of it was. It was always his fault when the two of them did not get along. Rose tried her hardest but he was an arse and that was the truth. If he had just not agreed with his father the night before, or hell even remained quiet, they might have done better. Their practice sessions had gone quite well as they were preparing for the match. No one would have been able to tell from the task.

"Listen, Rosie, get some more rest. You'll feel better about this later," Ron said gently as he leaned down to kiss her cheek affectionately. Nodding, still in a bit of a daze, Rose hugged each one of her family members in turn before they left her alone. Soon after they left, she saw Scorpius' family leave. His father gave her a passing look that might have resembled concern, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. In fact, she wasn't so sure that she hadn't imagined it.

The door closed with a sense of finality and she could still hear it echoing off the stone walls. The silence the followed was oppressive. Before she could stop herself, Rose began silently crying, her hands over her face and her small frame shaking. She blamed herself for what happened. There was more that she could have done. It was not a surprise to her that Scorpius behaved as he did.

For as long as she had known him, his reputation meant everything to him. Why would she have thought that would have changed especially with his family watching him? He and she weren't anything. There would have been no reason for him to defend her. She could have been the bigger person. She could have pushed through and forced him to work better as her teammate. Maybe then they could have at least placed in second but she knew better. Anything less than first place would not be good enough. Especially with all of the work they had put into preparing.

There was the sound of Scorpius' bed creaking, following by some shuffling, and the next thing she knew, Scorpius had climbed into the bed with her. He adjusted her so that he was sitting behind her with his legs on either side of her as she leaned against his chest. Her surprise stopped the tears immediately and her cheeks grew pink. There was no denying how nice it felt. His arms were securely around her middle as he embraced her.

Scorpius could barely breathe from the guilt was currently destroying him. He knew that the tournament meant more to Rose than it did to himself. Yes, it would add a nice ring to his name if they ended up being number one at the end, but it was much more personal for the red head. She was a perfectionist and nothing less than perfect would be sufficient. While he was sure that it might have partially been a disorder, it was part of who she was. To know that their failure was a good portion his fault, it was too much to bear.

Rose had put in all of the work when it came to even figuring out what the first task would be. He asked her to do all of the work in coming up with a plan of action. All she had asked in return was that he be nice to her. Apparently, he couldn't even manage that. Anger bubbled in his stomach, burning into his chest as self-loathing overtook him. He was such an arse and Rose didn't even lash out at him as she would have been justified to do.

"Rose….I am so sorry," he whispered sincerely as he leaned his chin on her head and gave her a gentle squeeze. Right now, he didn't care how he looked or what things appeared to be. All he wanted to do was make Rose feel better for something that was a good portion his fault. Sure, they had never really been able to get along in the past and that was mostly his fault, but he had never felt this terrible. Rose's life had actually been in jeopardy and if he had not pulled himself together towards the end, she might not have made it. They didn't get along but he most certainly did not want her dead.

For a moment, Rose was convinced that she was dreaming. Even with what had happened to the two of them, she never in a million years would have thought that Scorpius had such a tender side to him. He had not been berated into acting this way either. It was completely on his own accord and it was beyond surprising. Honestly, she enjoyed it. It was nice that he could act so… human. Typically he acted as though he was above everyone else and God's gift to women. It made him unrealistic and unobtainable.

Did she want to obtain him? If her racing heart was any indicator, she knew that he did. Despite how gentle he was now, Rose wasn't going to fool herself. Things would change as they always did, especially if his family was involved. He demonstrated that to her the night before the tournament. She would indulge in this moment but after it passed, she needed to return to reality. Scorpius Malfoy would never be caught dead with someone like her; someone his family disapproved of.

When Rose did not answer him, Scorpius felt even worse. Was she truly that mad at him? Not that he blamed her, but he was making an honest effort to do better. At first, he wanted to be angry and say to hell with her. If she couldn't appreciate his efforts then what else was there for him to try? Taking a very slow breath, he knew that was an unnecessary reaction. She deserved to be angry with him and he needed to take his punishment like a man. Yes, she had some blame but it was his fault ultimately.

"I'm not going to say it's okay… because it's not… but I share the blame as well," Rose finally said after a moment. It was hard to find the right words. The last thing she wanted was for this moment to end on a sour note. She was startled by the sigh of relieve that came from Scorpius. What had he been worried about?

"I may be a heard-headed arse but I'm not stupid enough to believe you would forgive me. I don't want you to blame yourself. This one is all me. You did everything perfectly, Rose. You are absolutely brilliant. You were able to figure out the task from the loony ramblings of an old man and you were able to come up with a plan. Your spells would have worked if I had worked with you as we discussed. Do not sell yourself short because I fucked everything up," he explained, his voice tight. He was not used to feeling this… sensitive and he would be damned if he allowed himself to cry. However, he was not going to uphold his façade when there was no one on the room but himself and her. She deserved honesty.

Rose tilted her head up to look at him. Had he been hexed while they were sleeping? Was he truly being sincere? Never in the last six years had she seen Scorpius even remotely behave as he was now. Not that she was really complaining, however it was a bit uncomfortable to see him like this. His anger and smugness was easy, if not irritating to handle, but how did she handle an honest and sincere Scorpius? Her mouth hung open just a bit.

"What's wrong now?" he growled, a frown appearing on his face.

"You're… so sweet," she said softly, her eyes wide in amazement. His cheeks turned scarlet before her eyes and he looked away, causing her to giggle just a bit. It was music to his ears. His temporary embarrassment was worth it if it meant that she felt better.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't get used to it," he grumbled before looking at her from the corner of his eyes. She felt perfect in his arms, better than any woman he had ever held. Slowly his turned his face towards her as though magnetically drawn. What would it feel like to kiss her? To feel those full lips against his? He had a feeling that she would taste sweet, despite her spicy attitude. It just seemed like her.

Once more, Rose saw the look in Scorpius' eyes that indicated his desire. He wanted to kiss her. This was not the first time. The last time, however, he had jumped away from her like she was acid. Her heart was racing and she found that she really wanted him to act this time. For just a moment, she wanted to pretend that Scorpius could be the real him and not worry about his reputation. She was sure the stories about his sexual endeavors were true. He promised absolute bliss and she wanted just a taste of that.

Inch by inch, the two of them leaned towards one another. Rose felt her eyes flutter shut in anticipation. She prayed that he would not pull away. His breath was warm as she felt it upon her lips. However, their moment was not to come to fruition as the doors to the Hospital Wing opened rather loudly, startling the two.

"Hey Rose, there was something I needed to ask you…." Albus' voice trailed off as he caught the two of them in the same bed together. They had pulled away before he had seen anything but what he was already witnessing was too much for his brain His eyes practically bulged out of their sockets as he made awkward, sputtering noises. Then he shook his head disbelievingly.

"Nope… nope. I'm not seeing this. James must have hit me too hard… nope… nope…" he mumbled loudly as he continued to shake his head.

"Albus…." Rose called out gently but he continued to mumble to himself rather similarly to a mad man.

"Nope… I can't… not happening…" he continued before turning around and leaving the room, closing the door behind him. Rose sighed heavily.

"This… is not going to be good," she said gently but leaned back into Scorpius. The damage had already been done but currently she wanted to strangle her cousin. He had ruined what would have potentially been an amazing moment for her. She was sure of it. Though maybe it was as good thing. If she had kissed Scorpius, things would especially never be the same, whether it was good or bad. The two of them needed to concentrate.

Scorpius had a deep frown set into his face at their interruption. Damned Potter. He always seemed to know how to make his life a living hell. For just a moment he was going to indulge in his desire that had been plaguing him for quite some time now. He would have to make sure to punch the bastard extra hard the next time he saw him. There was no way in hell that Rose was going to get back into their moment now. She was bothered by her cousin. A soft growl rumbled low in his chest.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked but received no answer as Scorpius gently extracted himself from her, carefully her laying down.

"Nothing," he mumbled. "We should both rest. I don't know about you but I still feel exhausted." She nodded slowly, confused by his reaction. While she wanted to question him further, she knew that it would not be wise when he was like this.

"Yeah…" she said lamely as she settled deeper into her bed. Her heart was racing still and disappointment washed over her once more. This time, it was because of a desire that had almost been fulfilled. It had driven the thoughts of the tournament from her mind. Despite what she was feeling currently, she felt herself becoming tired yet again and before she knew it, she was asleep once more.

While Rose had been able to fall back asleep, Scorpius could not. He had climbed back into his bed but he was even more restless than before. All he could think about was kissing the woman who was just a few beds away from his. It was enough to drive him mad. Why didn't he just do it? Since when did he give a damn about what Potter thought? Hell, acting in his own nature, he would have done it regardless and relished in the chaos.

Rose had pulled away from him as well but instead of stealing the kiss, he let her go. He knew this was because despite what he wanted, he wanted her to want it as well. Clearly she did, but she would never act under those circumstances. As it was, she was worried about how her cousin had reacted when he saw them together. As a Malfoy, he was used to getting what he wanted, when he wanted it. With Rose, however, he wanted more than that. He wanted her to want him as badly as he wanted her. If she wouldn't give in unless the circumstances were right, then he was going to make sure those circumstances happened. One way or another, she would give into him. With his conviction set, he found himself falling asleep as well.

The next morning, Rose was sitting at breakfast with Albus, Hugo, and Lily. Her family had left once they were sure that she was absolutely fine. James had to leave earlier than they did because he was needed back in Romania. Rose had been so happy to see everyone and she couldn't wait until they could visit again.

All eyes in the hall had been on her when she entered the Great Hall. While a few people clapped and offered congratulations for surviving the first task, she could tell that a majority of the student body was disappointed that Hogwarts was sitting in last place in the tournament currently. She couldn't blame them but it still stung regardless. Scorpius was nowhere to be found but she wasn't surprised. He had still been sleeping in the hospital wing when she left earlier this morning.

Albus had been avoiding her gaze almost the entire time. Hugo and Lily didn't seem to notice but Rose was starting to become annoyed. She knew that it had something to do with what he had seen in the hospital wing. Granted, it was not like he really saw anything. He was making a big deal out of nothing as he usually did. Honestly, he could be such a drama queen. Sighing, she put down her fork and looked at him.

"Al…" she called out.

"No," he said dismissively which caused Rose to frown.

"Albus…"

"Nope. I can't. I won't acknowledge it."

"Al…"

"No, I'm not going to do it."

"Albus come on," Rose whined. He was being absolutely immature. Hugo and Lily were absolutely confused as they exchanged quizzical looks with one another.

"Did…. Something happen?" Lily inquired.

"Of course something had to happen. Look at the two," Hugo answered. Rose growled, more than a little annoyed.

"No, nothing happened. He's being ridiculous," Rose said. Albus finally met her gaze, his eyes and mouth both open wide.

"Really? That's what you're going with?" he questioned, causing Rose to roll her eyes.

"Yeah, really. Nothing is going on. You didn't see what you thought you saw," she answered. If his eyes could grow any larger, they were going to pop out of his head.

"So… what was it that he didn't see?" Lily probed, wanting to know what was going on. The two were acting strange. Well, stranger than normal.

"I saw her and Malfoy in bed together!" he yelled, drawing the attention of a few students nearby. Rose's cheeks went scarlet.

"Keep your voice down!" she hissed. The last thing she wanted was this rumor to spread through the school. Lily and Hugo were now wearing the same expressions as Albus.

"You were sleeping with, Malfoy?!" Hugo exclaimed in a hushed tone. Rose really wanted to strangle him and Albus.

"No! I was not! I stayed in the hospital wing all the way until this morning. I was not 'sleeping' with Scorpius," she explained exasperatedly. She shot Albus a death glare, knowing that he was being vague on purpose.

"So…. What did happen?" Lily inquired once more. Rose calmed down a bit as she looked at the younger girl. It was almost impossible for her to get mad at her. Lily was more sensible than her brother and cousin.

"Scorpius was… comforting me because we placed so badly in the tournament. That's all it was. He was hugging me," she explained. Hugo gave her a look of disbelief that Albus readily mirrored.

"I think Albus' explanation might make more sense. I could believe easier that you slept with him over him being comforting," Hugo mumbled, earning a smack to the back of his head from both his sister and Lily. He howled in pain as he rubbed his head, glaring at the women.

"You two are absolutely horrible! Scorpius is not completely terrible. Yeah he's an arse ninety percent of the time but you don't know how he can be. He was genuinely nice and comforting yesterday," she defended.

"That's not what dad said. He told me about what happened the night before the task," Hugo said with a frown. Rose threw her hands up, tired of trying to get anything through their thick skulls.

"Why do I even bother with you two… I don't have explain a damn thing. Neither one of you are in charge of my life or what I do!" she hissed irritably, having had enough of their foolishness. Both of them were taken back for a moment by her outrage. Hugo had the decency to look slightly abashed but Albus continued to be irritable.

"It's our job to protect you! You don't know what you are getting into with him! He's a bastard and won't hesitate to use you to get what he wants! He's a Slytherin and a Malfoy. He's used to getting what he wants by any means necessary. He's using you in this tournament. He knows you are brilliant and he's taking advantage of that. I bet you did all the work and he still managed to screw it up," Albus countered, wishing his cousin would see reason.

For a moment, Rose couldn't say anything. Yes, what he said was true and she was more than aware of that but she knew a side of Scorpius that no one else did. She was bound and determined to pull that side out and keep it around. He could be a good, comforting man if he could just break the shackles that his family was providing.

"I'm not dealing with this," she said angrily as she stood up. Albus couldn't, apparently, take a hint as he stood up as well and stood in front of her.

"Rose, please listen to me," he pleaded but she tried to step around him, to which he would not allow.

"Move, Albus," she growled, glaring when he refused to budge. "Don't make me move you." Albus was surprised by her threat.

"See what he's doing to you!" he exclaimed. Rose felt her cheeks grow warm with anger. Albus was being unreasonable. He seemed to always be like that where Scorpius was concerned.

"This is not because of him. This is because of you!" she cried, her frustration reaching its peak. "You're too thick skulled to see past anything! You don't understand and you are letting your hatred blind you! I'm sick of this! I'm sick of there always being a fight because of our two families' stupidity!"

Their voices had rose loud enough that the surrounding students had grown quiet, interested in what was going on. Rose's cheeks grew hotter and redder now that they were apparently becoming the center of attention. This was absolutely insane and she had enough of it. Turning around with the intent of leaving, she bumped into another body.

"Ah…Rose. Iz every'zing alright?" Julien asked softly as he placed his hands on either side of her arms to steady her. He was the last person she had expected to see in this moment but she was thankful. He was very gentle and kind which was exactly what she needed right now. The hostility her cousin was providing was oppressive and she had enough of it.

"Oh, Julien, hi. Yeah, everything is fine," she said as she shot her cousin a glare over her shoulder. He rolled his eyes and sat back down. She was surprised that he wasn't going to fight her with speaking to Julien. In fact, she was expecting a spiel on how interacting with him was fraternizing with the enemy. Maybe he hadn't put two and two together. She was sure, given the right amount of time, he might and that would be something else they would fight over.

"I zee. Can I talk to you?" he asked and Rose nodded agreeably.

"Yes, please. Let's go," she urged as she grabbed his hand and pulled him away from everyone. She led him into the corridor outside of the Great Hall. Once she was there did she feel like she could breathe comfortably again. The whole situation with Scorpius was getting out of hand. Her mother and Lily seemed to be the only ones who were not getting on her case about him.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" she asked as she turned to face Julien, a gentle smile on her face as she calmed down.

"I wanted to ask you if you would like join me tomorrow? Zere iz zis place zat I was told about. Er… Hogsmeade. I was told zat it iz where zee students 'ere like to go on some weekends. Tomorrow iz a visit, I 'ave been told," he asked with a smile as he squeezed her hand encouragingly. Rose hadn't even realized that she had not let go. A light blush dusted her cheeks at his implications.

"Like… a date?" she clarified. He nodded, his smile widening as he patiently waited her answer. She was taken aback for a moment. It had been so long since someone had asked her out on a date and Julien was extremely nice.

Her mind flashed to a certain blond haired Slytherin. Scorpius would never ask her out on a date. If she waited for him, she would be an old hag and even then he would not have asked. She would only be holding herself back if she waited for Scorpius to take a true romantic interest in her. He wasn't like that. In fact, she had never seen Scorpius date anyone. Sure he had sexual conquests with several women but it was always someone different and no one consistent. Despite how she had wanted to kiss him, she was not stupid. They would never be anything.

"Sure, I would love that," she said brightly and his smile widened impossibly more.

"Great! Zat is vonderful!" he said happily as he leaned over and kissed her cheek, causing her cheeks to become warmer. He was so gentle and sweet it was almost overwhelming.

A few students from Beauxbatons emerged from the hall and called Julien over. He gave Rose an apologetic look and promised to catch up with her later before he followed after them, talking a mile a minute as they appeared to be discussing something energetically. She was sure that it had something to do with the tournament. It seemed to be the only thing anyone talked about right now.

A wide smile on her face about her upcoming date, Rose did walk directly into another body as she turned to leave. Bloody hell she was clumsy today. However, who she ran into was the last person she was expecting to see for a little while now.

Scorpius was standing in front of her, looking like his normal self. His hair was perfect but his uniform was casual. He wore only his white button up shirt with a few buttons undone with his Slytherin tie loose. There was an odd expression on his face. It looked like a mix of anger, confusion, and hurt. A frown creased his features.

"What was that about?" he asked casually which surprised Rose. Looking around, she noticed that now they were alone in the hall which explained his aloof manner. If there were witnesses, she was sure he would have been curt and snide with her.

"Uh… you know Julien. He's from Beauxbatons," she explained before she could stop herself. Why was she explaining herself to him? It was none of his business.

"Yeah… that prick," he mumbled unhappily. Rose was not sure why he seemed to despise the man so much. The two had hardly spoken except for the one encounter they had were Scorpius seemed to have lost his mind.

"Hey, he's been nothing but wonderful to me," she defended.

"So… what did he want?" he asked quietly. It was his quietness that caught her off guard and she found herself answering him easily.

"He asked me out on a date. I guess we have a Hogsmeade visit tomorrow," she explained. What was with her? Why was she telling him anything? It was like her mouth had a mind of its own. It felt as though if she kept this information from him then she was hiding something. Why did she feel guilty? She should not feel guilty about having a date. Scorpius was not her boyfriend and it was not like she was cheating on him or something. Scorpius' frown deepened.

"And what did you say?" Now Rose had finally gotten a hold on herself. A frown formed on her face to mirror his own.

"That's none of your business, Scorpius. Why do you care?" she asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. He looked away from her as though he didn't care but she could see a faint dusting of pink on his cheeks.

"I don't give a damn. Just thought you had better taste," he replied. Obviously he said the wrong thing because next thing he knew, she was in his face and she was angry.

"Obviously I do because I said yes!" she growled and he looked at her with surprise.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he demanded. "Are you saying he's a better choice than me?" Rose could not believe how many arguments she had been in within such a short period of time. It took her a moment to realize what he had just said.

"Excuse me? Where the hell do you play into this? It's not like you were going to ask me!" she stated irritably. She felt like she was missing something important. There was nothing romantic between the two of them and now all of a sudden Scorpius was acting like there was.

"No, I wasn't. Why the hell would I want to date you?" While his response stung, Rose was trying to get better at letting it roll off of her. She was too happy about her date to let him ruin it.

"Then quit acting jealous!" she accused.

"I'm not jealous! Who the hell would be jealous over you?!" he sputtered, losing some of his composure. Yeah, he was jealous as hell but there was no way he was going to admit that to her. She was his partner and he didn't like some pansy foreign student encroaching on her. How dare she think that someone like him was a better choice than him? He would show her. She would see just what she was missing out on.

"Ugh! You are such an arse! I'm tired of your games. Leave me the hell alone until you grow up!" she bellowed before stomping away from him. She was done with men right now. All she wanted was to be alone.

Scorpius could barely fathom what had just happened. What had gotten into him? Why did he care so damned much? It was more than obvious that he was jealous. He made that apparent. He supposed his real anger was over the fact that she had agreed on the date. Yesterday he had thought that maybe they connected. Instead, she was going on a date with some other guy. Maybe she was still mad at him over the tournament, even with all of the efforts he went through to apologize. Was there nothing he was going to be able to do to make this right?

This was why he didn't bother being a nice. It didn't seem to get him anywhere. Granted, he wasn't being pleasant now but initially he had tried. She was making it exceedingly difficult. Growling, he ran his fingers through his hair as he gazed down the corridor Rose had stormed down.

What was he going to do? He felt so conflicted and so confused and it was pissing him off. How dare she make him feel like this? It was weak argument but it was all that he had. Feeling this intensely for someone… was not something he was used to. He wasn't even sure how to approach the situation. All he knew was the image his projected. That image got him absolutely nowhere with Rose. It only angered her more but he found it impossible to act the way that she seemed to enjoy. To be that way all the time would go against everything he had grown up with. Would it be worth it? Would she be worth it?


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **A/N: Once more thanks for the reviews guys! Your words are awesome! Keep them coming pretty please :)**

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 12*~**

"So… you have a date huh?" Lily inquired as she watched her cousin get ready. They were both in the room that Rose and Scorpius shared, seeing as how all of her stuff was there. It had been a good while since Rose had been on a date and Lily wanted to give her support, hence her presence.

It was early Saturday morning and the third years and up were preparing for their Hogsmeade visit. For the first time in a while, Rose was excited to be going into the little town. Of course, during her third year she had been nothing but excited every time there was a visit and she made sure to go to each one. However, as time went on, the allure wore off and she found that she could not spare the time away from her studies. It was nice to feel that thrill again. While the Triwizard Tournament had more thrill than she wanted, at least going to Hogsmeade she wasn't going to be worried about her life being in danger.

"Yes, with Julien, that Beauxbatons guy who spoke to me that day when the schools were demonstrating their skills," she replied as she brushed her fiery hair down in soft waves. Currently, she was standing in front of a mirror she had conjured as she observed her appearance. Stepping away briefly in favor of digging around in her trunk, she found a white head band that she promptly slid into place.

"He seems really nice. Much different from Malfoy—" Lily started, pausing as her cousin gave her a look. "I don't mean anything hostile by that, you know that. I'm not like Albus. While I may not understand or agree with your newfound tolerance of him, I'm not going to fight you. I'm just pointing out that the two are drastically different and you deserve to be around someone who is not going to demean you." Satisfied with her explanation, Rose went back to finishing her appearance.

Lily had been very surprised with her cousin for a little while now. She had been more emotional this year then she had ever been. Granted, she was aware this was her final year and she was under an insane amount of stress, but Malfoy seemed to be getting under her skin much easier now. Even now she had not explained what had caused her to become so upset that she spent the night with her in the dormitory. Despite, Rose not telling her, she had a feeling it had something to do with Malfoy. If it wasn't Albus or Hugo making her upset, it was Malfoy.

Since Rose had become partners with Malfoy, Lily noticed that she seemed to defend him more frequently. She was sure that there was another side to him that only her cousin was going to see, as they were now spending so much time with one another. However, that did not ease her concern that Malfoy was using her. Her brother did have genuine fears concerning Malfoy, he was just terrible at expressing them. It was up to her to be the voice of reason.

"Myself and Scorpius have to learn to get along better. The first task really brought home how our lack of compatibility is really going to harm us, both in ranking in the tournament and our safety. This… feud that we have is pointless. It stems from our family and I don't like it. Scorpius fed into it first and I will admit that I have not done much over the years to make it better. Now, we need to. You and I both know that he's not going to so I need to," she explained as she slipped a white cashmere sweater over the black tank top she was currently wearing. The weather was starting to become cool as autumn was in full force and winter quickly approaching.

"Yeah… I get that. Albus and Hugo are pretty stubborn, more so my brother than yours, but…. they do have valid points. Malfoy isn't exactly trustworthy," Lily urged. A soft sigh came from Rose as she ran her hands down the front of her black jeans, smoothing them out.

"Despite his outward appearance… there is goodness in him. I have seen it… he's just afraid to be who he wants to be. I can't imagine having to survive his home life. So many expectations," she said with a sad smile as she looked over at the younger girl. "His family isn't as warm and affectionate as ours. You can tell." Lily nodded, agreeing with her. It was a sad situation but that didn't excuse his behavior totally.

"So… tell me something, Rose… do you have a thing for Malfoy?" Lily asked as she sat up on the bed. It was the only thing that made sense to her. Malfoy was bothering more than usual, it was after she had seen Malfoy that she spent the night with her, and the two of them had their hands clasped together after the task. Then there was the fact that she was defending him all the time. Oh and the icing to the cake was what her brother had walked in. Tournament or no tournament, none of this was characteristic of Malfoy or Rose.

"Wh-what? N-No! That's insane!" she sputtered, her cheeks turning pink immediately. While she had admitted to herself that she was becoming attracted to Scorpius, there was no way she was going to admit that to anyone. Besides, she had already promised herself that she would squelch that desire. It would be nothing but trouble and chaos. Scropius wasn't really into dating the same woman for an extended period of time and she wasn't going to be a fling.

"What about you? I've seen how you look at that Durmstrang guy… the one who's a Champion," Rose said quickly, trying to take the conversation away from herself. It seemed to work as now Lily was the one with flushed cheeks.

"Who Alek? I mean he's attractive and all extremely talented but… ugh nevermind," she mumbled as she grabbed a pillow and held it over her face, huffing loudly. Rose couldn't help but giggle a bit at her reaction. It was obvious that she liked him but with her brother being as ridiculous she could only imagine how difficult dating was for her. She was the baby of the family and even Hugo treated her the same way, despite how they were the same age.

"Have you even spoken to him at all?" Rose asked as she applied the finishing touches to her appearance. She even dabbled a small amount of makeup on her face, which was uncharacteristic. Normally, she didn't put so much thought into her appearance. It wasn't like she normally had someone to impress either.

Lily had started to respond but it was indistinguishable and muffled because of the pillow over her face. Rose laughed a bit as she walked over to her and removed the pillow. Her cousin's face was as red as her hair. The whole scene was rather comical.

"Wanna try that again?" she inquired with a smile. Lily sighed exaggeratedly.

"Every time I try, something happens. Most of the time it's because of Albus. He starts talking about how if we talk to them it's fraternizing with the enemy and we aren't supporting you. He's really obnoxious about it, the bloody prat," she growled. "Even Hugo jumps on the band wagon."

"I'm sorry. Well, how about I introduce you to him? I'm not saying that I know him real well or anything but he is a Champion and I'm in a position to talk to him," she offered, beaming when she saw Lily's eyes light up. While Albus might think she was fraternizing, Rose didn't agree and she thought he needed to lay off of everyone for a while.

"That would be great! Thanks!" Lily said happily as she hopped off the bed. "You look awesome. Any man would be captivated," she praised, causing Rose to blush prettily. Before Rose could respond to her cousin, she heard the door open.

Scorpius strode into the room, not having expected anyone to be inside. While everyone else was getting ready to go to Hogsmeade he didn't feel like going. The last thing he wanted to do was run into Rose with her stupid date. Just the thought of it made him feel annoyed. The scowl was still on his face even when he entered the room. It immediately fell, however, when he was greeted by the sight of Rose.

Damn she was beautiful. She was wearing a simple outfit but it accentuated her curves which were in all the right places. He recognized her outfit as muggle attire but he didn't give a damn, not when she looked the way she did. She was stunning and for a moment he found himself staring blatantly.

"Is…. everything okay?" Rose asked gently. Scorpius had a peculiar look on his face and she wasn't sure what it meant. All that she knew was that he was staring rather intently and it was causing her to blush.

"The staring is kinda creepy," Lily observed. Having discovered that someone else was in the room, Scropius' signature scowl reappeared as he frowned.

"What is she doing here?" he demanded as he went to his side of the room.

"She's here to help me, not that it's really any of your business," Rose said defensively as she returned to the mirror to make sure she looked okay.

"Girl's gotta have help if she's going to look good for her date," Lily said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. She had a sneaking suspicion that Rose's feelings were not unrequited so she was going to have fun with Malfoy.

"I mean, after all, Julien is a great guy. He's super nice to her and an absolute gentleman. Not to mention he's incredibly attractive and girls always love the foreign students. They seem so exotic. Then there is the fact that he's pretty skilled too. I think he's perfect," Lily continued, grinning slyly as she saw that Scorpius was trying to hide what he was feeling.

Scorpius was not sure what kind of game the Potter girl was playing but he wasn't fond of it. While he knew that she was playing at something, it didn't make him deaf to her words. Yeah, when she put it that way the bastard sounded decent but surely Rose wasn't easily swayed by that. She needed someone of substance and he knew that guy couldn't offer it.

He felt jealousy burn deep within him as he took in Rose's appearance once more. She looked outstanding but what was killing him was that she was doing it for some other guy. He wasn't even sure if that Julien guy was going to truly appreciate what she did. While he was not on the greatest of terms with Rose almost all the time, he knew that she never dressed up. His heart ached as he realized that he wanted her to do that for him.

"Well goodie for you. Like I give a damn. I just wanted to go somewhere quiet," he said with a nonchalance that he didn't feel. "Which apparently isn't here because of you two giggling idiots."

Lily waved him off, not fooled by his reaction. She could tell that there was something more. His eyes burned with a jealousy that he was trying to hide. It was surprising to her that Malfoy felt for Rose as he did. Albus and Hugo would never stand for it and honestly, she was not sure if she was too okay with it either. None of that mattered right now, though. Rose had a date to attend and she deserved to be happy without Malfoy botching it up.

"Oh shut up," Rose growled before sighing. She was getting really tired of his behavior but she was not going to let that ruin her mood. "Lily are you going to be going to Hogsmeade as well?"

"Nah, not this time. Believe it or not, I'm kinda falling behind with everything going on. Not a very good excuse I know, considering that you are still at the top of your class and juggling a tournament," Lily said with a sheepish smile. Rose shook her head a bit but smiled.

"Okay, I'll see you later then. I have to go," she said as she hugged her before heading towards the door. "Enjoy your quiet time, Scorpius." With that she disappeared into the hall, leaving Lily and Scorpius alone.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Scorpius growled after the silence became too much for him. He felt uncomfortable being around the Potter girl. The two of them never directly had any altercations really. She seemed to stay out of the fighting.

"Don't you?" she said pointedly as she gave him a knowing look before leaving the room. He found himself staring after her confusedly. What the hell did that mean? Where the hell else would he be? Did she mean for him to go to Hogsmeade as well? Why would that have been what she meant?

He could have sworn she was the one sitting there praising Rose's date. Why would she want him to go and botch it up? Wait… was she giving her approval of him? No, he had to be reading far too much into that. There was no one in Rose's family that would approve of him, not that he really blamed them. He had never demonstrated anything promising that he would be good for her.

Growling, he found himself pacing the room as he decided what it was that he was going to do. It had been his intention to stay as far away from Hogsmeade as possible today. He was sure that he would be sick if the saw the two all lovey dovey with one another. His pacing paused as the image of Rose and that bastard being lip locked passed his mind. Clenching his fist, he had the urge to punch something or rather someone.

"Oh damn it all!" he mumbled irritably before grabbing his robes and heading out. He was not entirely sure what his plan was but staying at the school was no longer a part of it.

Rose found herself feeling quite nervous as she approached Hogsmeade. She was supposed to meet Julien at the town near the entrance. The closer she got, the more anxious she felt. It had been a long time since she had been on a date and she was worried that somehow she was going to mess it up. She had a tendency to bore people when she began talking. Normally, it was because no one could keep up with her conversations. They were intellectually based which was not what most guys wanted to hear about when on a date.

Aside from her book smarts, she wasn't really sure what to talk about. It was not like she was a very interesting person on a normal day. The most exciting thing she had going for her right now was being a Champion but that was the last thing she wanted to talk about. She had just survived the first task and all she wanted to do was push it to the back of her mind. Besides, being a Champion didn't define who she was.

Then there were her parents. While they might not have been quiet as famous as her uncle, they still had done incredible things. She was like her cousin in the sense that she wanted to stand out from her parents. Despite how much she loved them, she wanted to be her own person and achieve her own greatness that had nothing to do with them. She really hoped this didn't become a topic of conversation either.

Arriving before Julien, she found herself nervously fidgeting where she stood. All of her worries were plaguing her mind as she considered how she should behave. What was she going to talk about? Maybe she would be saved and he would only be interested in cultural differences. That should be a pretty safe topic. After all, Hogwarts was pretty different from Beauxbatons. Maybe she could learn something new too.

Twirling a strand of her hair around her finger, she bit her lower lip uneasily. Why was this so hard? The only guy she had been hanging out with that she felt comfortable around had been Scorpius. Despite his normal bad attitude, she found it so very easy to be herself. Granted, there were times he would call her out on being a bookworm but he never seemed to make her stop being herself. Not that she ever really gave him the chance. She would be damned if she ever let him change her. Lately, he seemed to enjoy that about her.

A small smile slid onto her face as she thought of Scorpius. Never in a million years had she ever thought that would happen but thinking of him did make her happy. At least, thinking of him when he wasn't being an arse did. He had been so comforting and wonderful when they were both in the hospital wing. If he was like that all the time, she could see herself falling very hard for him. He was charming and unbelievably sexy but it was hard to see that when he hid behind an egotistical smirk and foul language. When he said horrible things to her, it was hard to imagine he could be anything else but mean. Since the tournament, however, she had seen more and more of that side of him and she was determined to bring it out permanently.

Trouble was, she couldn't neglect herself in the meantime. Julien seemed to have a genuine interest in her and he seemed so wonderful and gentle. It even had her wondering if maybe he was too good to be true. There had to be something wrong with him. Everyone had some sort of flaw or dark side. His just must have been much more hidden. Regardless, he made her feel appreciated and respected which was what she needed. Scorpius would have to wait.

Besides, if there was anything between her and Julien it was not as though it would be able to last. He lived far away and she wasn't sure if she would be willing to make the commitment to leave to be with him. She had her own plans which involved traveling. Shaking her head, she immediately tried to rid of those thoughts. She was getting unbelievably ahead of herself. What she needed to do was go on a simple date and enjoy herself in the moment. It was a flaw of hers to have everything planned out all the time.

Before her thoughts could cause her to worry any more, she saw Julien approaching her. Her heart sped up a bit and her stomach felt a bit fluttery. She just needed to enjoy herself above all else. Honestly, what could really go wrong? She offered him a small smile, trying to get over her nerves.

Julien was dressed casually but she found it too look really good on him. While his school uniform wasn't bad, she liked seeing him in neutral colors. He wore a grey sweater with black slacks that he currently had one of his hands tucked into the pockets of. His light colored hair swayed slightly in the cool breeze, causing him to brush some of the strands out of his face.

" _Tu es trés belle_ ," he said smoothly as he stole her hand and gently placed a kiss on her knuckles. This man was far too smooth for his own good. She was sure that he had tons of girls swooning over him back home. It was flattering that he took an interest in her. Only when he gazed at her expectantly did she realize she should say something.

"O-Oh.. thank you…" she answered gently. She was fairly fluent in Latin due to Herbology so it wasn't too difficult to figure out what he had said. Was this guy actually real? Maybe someone was seriously messing with her and was using Polyjuice potion. Great, now she was becoming paranoid. She could just hear Scorpius calling her such.

"Where would you like to go, first?" he asked, as he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm like a proper gentleman. Rose was very impressed with his behavior. Even if it was for show it was a rather good show.

"Well… I can show you around to some of the shops. Honeydukes is fantastic if you like sweets. Zonkos is pretty fun if you like jokes and stuff, though I would have to say my uncle's store is much better," she said with a bit of a giggle. "Then there is always the Three Broomsticks. That's the most common hangout place and it's not too bad." Julien listened intently to what she said, nodding periodically.

"Zat sounds wonderful. Let's go to zis, Broomstick place. I would like to see it," he remarked as he kept her hand tucked into his arm but allowed her to lead the way.

Scorpius mentally berated himself the entire journey to Hogsmeade. One or two of his fellow housemates offered to accompany him but he brushed him off. Even his most recent flings weren't enough to distract him. Some strange force of nature was compelling him to go into the town and keep an eye on Julien. While Rose's family may have trusted him, he did not. There was no telling what sort of façade he was using to get merlin knew what from Rose. Just recalling the last time he had to save her from stupid arseholes had his blood boiling.

He would be damned if he ever let anyone hurt her. Yes, he was not the greatest example of kindness but he would never stoop so low as to force himself onto any woman. He knew nothing about Julien which only made him distrust him further. Sure there were other reasons why he didn't like the prat, but that was beside the point.

Rose… seemed a bit naïve when it came to men. She put up a great act but over the years he had never really seen her date. He was sure it wasn't from the lack of trying but men were intimidated by strong willed and intelligent women like her. Those men, however, were weak and unlike himself. He found her fire to be extremely addictive.

Oh what the hell was he doing? What was he going to do when he did find her? The whole point of him avoiding Hogsmeade was so that he didn't see her acting happy with another man. What was he going to do, jump out and claim that she be with him? The startling realization of his feelings towards the Weasley had him stopping in his tracks: he wanted her.

Yes, he knew that he had become attracted to her but he was finding himself wanting more than just that attraction. He wanted her entirely. He wanted to be the reason that she smiled. The more they worked with one another, the more he hated that more often than not, he was the one upsetting her. It was a good portion his fault that she had become so injured during the task. His Malfoy name was meaning less to him if it meant that he couldn't have her. Would he be able to set that aside, though? Could he be the person that she claimed she saw?

Resuming his journey, it wasn't too much longer before he found himself in Hogsmeade. The town was buzzing with elated students roaming the streets and filtering in and out of the shops. There were several different places that Rose could have been but he had a feeling she would be playing it safe. Besides, the best place to hang out and talk would have been the Three Broomsticks.

Stepping into said place, he stole himself a seat in the corner of the room, cast mostly in shadow due to a nearby fireplace. It would be easier for him to look for her this way so that he would not be caught. One of the baristas caught sight of him and sauntered her way over, drawing his attention briefly. He barely heard what she said, distracted with his task at hand. After giving her his order of butterbeer, he shooed her off but not before finally realizing that she had been trying to flirt with him.

The barista was a handful of years older than himself but her body demonstrated several more years of maturity. He would have to admit that she was attractive with a perfect hourglass shape that on a normal day would have turned his head. Her blonde hair was tied up in a messy bun that framed her face with loose tendrils. It seemed that there were several other males in the room trying to vie for her attention but were unsuccessful.

With disinterest plain on his face, Scorpius returned to looking for Rose. It wasn't hard, actually. All he had to do was look for bushy red hair and he was able to find her. She was sitting far enough on the other side of the room that he was unable to hear what the two of them were saying. That was fine by him. Body language described more accurately what words could not. From what he could see, much to his displeasure, all seemed to be going well.

Rose found herself relaxing in the warm environment the Three Broomsticks provided. The air was warm with the scent of various baked items and the crackling fire across the room. It was nice to be relieved from the chilly air despite having not been in it long. Despite relaxing, she found herself feeling fidgety as she drummed her fingertips along the wooden tabletop. Julien gently placed his hand over hers and offered her a warm smile.

"You do not 'ave to be nervous with me," he assured her to which she offered him a tiny smile.

"I'm sorry. I… haven't been on a date in a very long time and… I'm worried I might say something to mess this up. You're kinda too good to be true," she admitted, her cheeks acquiring redness that was not from the warmth of the inn. Julien's smile became impossibly more charming and gentle.

"You will not mess anyzing up. Zat is eempossible because you are too sweet. You can ask me anyzing if zat will make you feel better," he offered as he squeezed her hand comfortingly. Rose felt her heart skip a beat at his perfection. How was this guy even real?

"Okay, thanks. Well… what is it that you like to do when you're not doing schoolwork?" she asked. It seemed like a fairly safe and normal conversation starter.

"I like to read mostly. I am one of zee top in my class because of zat," he said simply, earning a wide smile from Rose. It felt like they might have more in common than she had hoped. The conversation went more smoothly from there on out.

Rose discovered that Julien came from a pureblooded family that was respected back home. He had two younger brothers that were just starting their first and second at Beauxbatons. It turned out that he enjoyed his studies almost as much as Rose did which did her heart wonders. A lot of the Ravenclaws were like that but Rose had found it hard to relate to most of them. Some of them were so snobby she was sure they could have fit right into Slytherin. It was obnoxious really but sitting before her was a guy who seemed far too good to be true.

Scorpius was finding himself becoming more and more annoyed by the scene in front of them. He wasn't able to hear what they were saying but he could tell that Rose was enjoying herself, maybe too much in his opinion. An irritated tick had started in his jaw from the moment Julien began touching her. The damned bastard thought he was so smooth and Rose seemed to be eating it right up.

His heart skipped a beat as he saw the two lean towards one another. Julien whispered something in Rose's ear which caused her to blush and then giggle. He was not sure how much of this he was going to be able to take. If he was not careful, he might punch the git in his pretty boy face. Grumbling unhappily to himself, he downed his drink in a few swigs before noticing that the two had apparently finished their time in the inn and were leaving.

Giving them just a moment's head start, Scorpius paid for his drink and then stepped out. Rose was walking very close to Julien, too close for his liking. Her arm was looped with his and she was leaning her head on his shoulder a bit. Before he could stop himself, he scooped down and collected a couple of pebbles before whipping them at the back of his head, careful to make sure Rose was not affected.

Julien immediately began looking around, trying to find the culprit. Scorpius was forced to dip into a nearby shop to prevent himself from being seen. If Rose saw him, she would accuse him regardless if she had seen him do it or not. Besides, she was under the impression that he was back at the school and not following her around like some lovesick puppy. Momentarily disgusted with himself, he considered heading back to the school. Just what was he doing anyways?

"Well if it isn't, Malfoy? What are you doing here?" a cheeky voice called out. Scorpius groaned as he realized it to be Potter's voice. Really, of all the places he could have ended up why did it have to be in the same room as him? Looking around, he noticed that he was in Zonkos. Okay, so that would have been a weird place for him to be. Normally he would not be caught in a joke shop. It wasn't his thing.

"Last time I checked this was a public place," he rebutted drolly. His eyes kept darting outside but from where he was he could not see Rose any longer. Damn him and his momentary loss of composure.

"Didn't peg you as one for jokes. Why are you really here?" he prodded, approaching Scorpius and standing relatively close to his personal space. As much as he hated Potter being there, he was never one to back down from a challenge, which was clearly being issued.

"None of your damned business, Potter," he growled as he turned his attention away once more. Now he was feeling antsy because he had no idea where the two had gone. His mind began racing a mile a minute to different scenarios of what the two could be doing. A normal, sane person would have realized that none of them were realistic but he had already come to the conclusion that he was acting irrational right now.

"What are you looking for?" he demanded, noticing that Malfoy kept looking away from him distractedly. Something was going on with him and knowing the Slytherin, it couldn't be a good thing. Frowning, he yanked on the blond's shoulder so that he was forced to face him.

Scorpius' eyes flashed angrily at being touched by Potter and his first reaction was to knock his face in. His fist was clenched in preparation but what stopped him was the look of disappointment Rose's face would display if she found out. There would be no doubt that she would find out because Potter seemed to love to run to her and cry about his problems.

"I don't have time for you," he grumbled as he turned to leave, wanting to get as far away from the annoying bastard and to look for Rose. Albus was surprised that Malfoy didn't take the bait and start a fight with him. It was unbelievably uncharacteristic and suspicious.

"You're up to something and I know that's not a good thing. You had better leave Rose out of your schemes or so help me I will kill you. She deserves to be happy instead of being stuck around a git like you," Albus snarled. He was nearly thrown off balance as Scorpius whipped around and grabbed the front of his robes, glaring at him.

"You can't stand the idea that maybe a person can change just because you're too incompetent to manage it yourself. I know I don't make Rose happy and I'm typically the bane of her existence but you're no fucking saint either, Potter. How about you turn that judgmental tone towards yourself and fucking grow up!" he spat before releasing him and tearing out of the building.

Albus stumbled back from the force of being released and stood in stunned silence as he processed what had just happened. Malfoy didn't hit him and had used Rose's first name. He had seemed genuinely upset by his accusations.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Albus remained where he was feeling awkward and abashed. He hated how much truth rang with Malfoy's words. Truthfully, he had not been very supportive about anything if it concerned the pompous Slytherin. Rose was doing her best to get along with him because she was forced to work with him because of the tournament. However, since day one, he had known Rose to be trying to give Malfoy a chance because she didn't want to feed into the family feud. It was until things had reached such an impossible level that she was forced to concede. Family meant the most to her even if it wasn't good for her.

If for some insane reason, Malfoy did make her happy, Albus knew that she would never act on it. Between him, her brother and her father she would never stand a chance. Rubbing the back of his neck uneasily, he knew that he did have some growing up to do. For once, he needed to stop letting Rose make the sacrifices. It was his fault, after all, that she was in the tournament. Once more, family came above her own needs. God he felt like an arse.

Rose couldn't believe the amazing time that she was having. Everything felt like it was going so well and she had finally given up the paranoia that it was too good to be true. She deserved to have something nice like this happen to her. It was refreshing considering all of the stress she was under with studying for her N.E.W.T.S and staying alive in the tournament. Then there was Scorpius' constant mood change. It was nice to talk to someone who wasn't going to be unpredictable.

She and Julien had just left Honeydukes and she was happily munching on a Chocoball, delighting in the sweetness that filled her mouth. Honestly, she was not sure that this date could get much better. Julien had been nothing but a proper gentleman to her. He had even been paying for everything, despite her protests that she had her own money.

Amongst their wanderings, they found themselves passing in front of the Shrieking Shack. While no one except a handful of people knew its true history, it was still considered one of the most haunted buildings. Rose knew that no ghosts resided within the dilapidated shack but it still surprised her that it was still standing. Any supposed howling noises that were heard she was sure were due to the winds that managed to whip through the open crevices.

"What is zis place?" Julien asked as he paused in their walking to look at the decrepit building. A few students were nearby, whispering excitedly and pointing while another couple was slowly creeping towards the shack presumably on a dare to see who would get the closest.

"It's called the Shrieking Shack. It's supposed to be haunted but it really isn't" she explained as she too gazed at the building.

Teddy Lupin, who was practically family, had told her of what the real history of this place was. It was where his father used to go for his transformations when he went to school. When Teddy had found out about the Shrieking Shack, he had been very excited to find something that was linked to the father he had never met. His first year at Hogwarts, several years before Hogsmeade trips, he would sneak out to visit the shack. He claimed that it helped him connect with his father, whom he only knew through stories from family.

It broke her heart that it was this place that made him feel closer to his father. It was absolutely run down but there was still evident that something used to dwell inside, even if only briefly. There was rotted, broken debris of what used to be furniture and even some moth-eaten, moldy curtains that limply hung from the broken windows. It was a depressing place but it used to bring Teddy comfort. If the village ever decided to tear it down, Rose had a feeling that he would be the first to petition its salvation.

"Let's go check it out," Julien offered, excitement in his voice as he already began making his way towards the shack. Rose had only been inside once in her third year but there really wasn't anything special inside. However, that did not seem to faze Julien as she tried to voice this while following him. The building had been standing far longer than it should have and she didn't think that it would be safe to go inside.

Before she could protest any further, her date had already managed to slip inside, forcing her to hurry to catch up to him. As soon as they were inside, she wrinkled her nose at the smell of decay that permeated the area. While the air was currently chilly, she could only imagine how awful the place smelled during the summer with the hot, stuffy air.

Grey light filtered in from broken sections of wall and windows, reflecting off of broken glass that littered the floor. Thick layers of dust covered every surface and as they walked, they kicked some of it up into the air. Rose covered her mouth as she began coughing a bit from the particles. She had forgotten how truly terrible it was inside.

Beneath their feet, the wooden planks creaked dangerously as they moved around. Rose remained in the center of the room as Julien insisted on exploring. She never would have thought there was this side to him. He seemed so calm and poised. It never would have occurred to her that he would be into haunted locations or adventurous. Granted, no one would have thought that about herself either.

"See? There really isn't anything in here… hey wait!" she called out as she saw him ascending the stairs. It groaned under his weight and for a whole moment she was worried that they would give way. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if something happened to him while they were on a date. That was the last thing her reputation needed. It was hard enough to get a date without everyone thinking that anyone who dated her would reach a tragic end.

"I want to see what is up 'ere," he called down to her as he reached the landing. Rose groaned as she carefully made her way up the stairs as well. What was it about guys that they had to have moments of stupidity? This place was not safe and it was easy to see.

"Really, this place isn't as exciting as it sounds," she complained as she walked with him. They entered a room that had a bed that took up the far wall and a completely broken out window. There wasn't a curtain or anything to shield the chilly wind from billowing in. It kicked up more dust and the walls began to groan and whine.

"Are you sure zis place isn't 'aunted?" Julien inquired, disappointment evident in his voice. Rose sighed as she shook her head. Placing her hand on his arm, she gently tugged, urging him to follow her out.

"It never was. It was only stories," she explained before halting. Something was making noise out in the hallway. While it made her instantly nervous, Julien seemed to perk up and immediately headed out of the room.

"W-Wait! Julien! Hold on!" she called out as she was forced to follow. As soon as she left the room she was shrouded in darkness. There was no light filtering in. In fact, she couldn't see any window anywhere and she knew that there was at least one of them before they had gone into the room. Turning around, she could no longer see the room she had left. It was pitch black and disorienting.

Her heart began racing as fear began to settle in. Something was terribly wrong. The hairs on the back of her neck began to stand on end. There was something familiar about this. Her eyes widened as she turned around several times, trying to catch her bearings.

"Julien? Where are you?!" she called out shakily. The silence was deafening as she did not receive a response from him. There wasn't a creak of the floorboards or a whistle from the wind. It felt like something dark and oppressive was closing in on her.

"Answer me!" she screamed, panic now flooding her body. Her heart was racing and thrumming heavily against her chest. The only sound she heard was the blood rushing in her ears. It was as silent as the grave which only caused a terrified shiver to run down her spine. Her body broke out in a cold sweat as she tried to calm herself down. This was not good.

A bloodcurdling scream tore through the air and she fell to her knees with her hands clamped over her ears. There was no calming herself down as she felt herself panicking and shivering. This was the same entity that she had run into her first night back at the castle. What was it doing here? What in the hell was it? As terrified as she was, she tried to peer through the darkness in hopes of discovering what it was. Maybe if she knew what the entity was, she might be able to fight it off.

The scream didn't come from Julien and for that she was thankful. Hopefully he had managed to get away before this entity had appeared. Granted, that made him a right bastard if he honestly had left her alone. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to stand as her ears rang painfully from the scream. It was silent once more and still crushingly dark.

Deciding that she was going to get nowhere standing still, Rose took a few uneasy steps as she moved along in the dark. Reaching out until her fingertips grazed the wall, she walked along the hall. She had only been in this place once before so she didn't know the layout that well, let alone in the dark. Stumbling along, she found the staircase and carefully began descending them. No matter where she looked, it was black. There was no light even on the first floor.

"Julien?" she called out as heard something moving. It was a rustling noise as though something was moving and dragging something along the ground. It was a soft sort of dragging noise, much like several fabrics trailing along the floorboards. Following this soft rustling was a solid thump and then silence. Thump and then silence. Thumb and then silence.

Gathering her courage, Rose stepped off the stairs and looked around. It was still incredibly dark but she knew there was an exit somewhere nearby. As quiet as she was attempting to be, it didn't matter when she stumbled over debris, kicking it across the floor with a clamor. Wincing, she waited for whatever was stalking her to attack. When nothing happened, she breathed a sigh of relief. The feeling only lasted a few seconds before the screams started again.

Scorpius was grumbling rather unhappily to himself as he looked for Rose. She and her stupid date had disappeared and it was putting him in a rather pissy mood. Bloody Potter and his stupidity. If the prat hadn't distracted him he would know where the two were by now. For all he knew, she had already headed back to the castle or the two were locked in an intimate embrace somewhere. The latter made him growl loudly to himself and shake his head. No, Rose was better than that.

Hands in pockets, he trudged along until he found himself passing the Shrieking Shack. He knew the place wasn't haunted but that didn't stop it from creeping him out. There was something…. unnatural about it. Not wishing to give it another thought, he kept walking until something stumbled out of the nearby brush and fell in front of him. Frowning, he was surprised to find that it was Julien.

"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded roughly, wondering what the hell was going on. Where was Rose? Grabbing him by the front of his sweater, he yanked him to his feet and glared at him. "answer me!"

"Zat place is 'aunted! Zere is something 'orrible in zere!" he replied, absolute terror apparent on his face. His normal tan complexion had gone stark white and he was even trembling. Scorpius was disgusted with his lack of composure but what pissed him off even more was the fact that clearly he had left Rose alone somewhere.

"Where is Rose?" he growled dangerously. The man before him shook his head a few times, whimpering a bit before Scorpus shook him roughly a few times. "get it together you pansy! Where is Rose?" His voice was booming this time which snapped Julien out of his frantic behavior for just a moment.

"I don't know! She was with me in zere," he answered as he pointed to the Shrieking Shack. More than pissed off at the prat, he roughly tossed him aside as he vaulted the fence that surrounded the shack. Rose had been ditched by her wimp of a date and for all he knew she could have been laying hurt somewhere inside. The building was not the most stable structure in the village, not by far.

Climbing in through the nearest broken window, he was instantly shrouded by darkness. It wasn't normal considering the house was built like Swiss cheese. There were enough holes in the shack that there should have been plenty of light filtering in. He had barely placed his feet on the ground when a horrific scream had him disoriented and stumbling.

"Rose? Rose!" he called out as he pulled out his wand. Mumbling an incantation, the end of it lit up brilliantly and he was able to see a few feet in front of him. The scream had sounded inhuman and it shook him to the core of his being. This place wasn't supposed to be haunted so what the hell was happening?

Shaking his head, he steadied himself as he moved along, thankful that the screaming had stopped. Carefully stepping over debris, he found Rose standing at the far side of the room. Rushing over, he immediately began checking her over to see if she had been hurt but she didn't seem to see him. Her eyes were wide, absolute terror filling them and her already pale complexion was impossibly paler. She seemed to be looking at something over his shoulder. Slowly he turned around, his heart already pounding heavily against his chest, fearful of what he might find.

His own eyes widened in horror.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I got sick for a little while and couldn't form coherent words. So, I'm pretty excited because a lot of you have favorited and followed my story. Thanks! Do me a favor and make a small review please? Just something tiny like "awesome!" "keep writing!" "loved it!" just something so I can hear from you readers. It would mean a lot to me :D If I could get at least half of you to do that I could have like fifteen reviews in one shot and that would be pretty flattering and I like that :D**

 **Now, on with the story!**

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 13*~**

Peeling itself from the shadows was a massive figure. It appeared to fill the whole room as it was impossible to distinguish the shadows from the entity. Amongst the mass of darkness was a skeletal face seemingly floating on its own. As it moved closer to the two, the same dragging and thudding noise could be heard. Once it was close enough to the light of Scorpius' wand, its already frightening appearance became more defined.

Shrouded in several heavy layers of a hooded cloak, the entity was giving off the appearance of the Grim Reaper. Its boney hand was clasped around a staff that looked to be a rowing oar. That was the thudding noise. It was the sound of the staff thudding against the ground as it moved. The dragging noise had been the garments it was wearing dragging along the floor.

The vacant orbital sockets in the skull were filled with a deep red fire that blazed brilliantly as the reaper stood directly in front of Scorpius. His wand's light illuminated every crevice and crack that the skull possessed. It looked as though it might have been submerged under water for several years. There was a dark patina to it and a severe fracture ran from the right orbital socket to the mandible.

Opening and closing, it appeared that the jaw of the reaper had a mind of it its own. There was no skin so it was impossible to tell if it was attempting to form words. It seemed as though it was cackling but there was no sound coming out. It moved impossibly closer, snuffing the light out of Scorpus' wand.

Being cast into darkness once more, Scorpius finally came to his senses. He groaned as he felt and smelled the putrid breath drifting from the creature before him. It was foul and smelled of moldy river water. Taking a step back, he felt Rose's hands on his shoulders, gripping him securely.

"That's the thing…. that was at the castle that first night," she whispered frightfully as they both moved a few paces back, trying to get away. Even though she could see what they were up against, she had no idea how to defeat it. It seemed like a Reaper but what would one of those be doing at the castle and let alone here? Was this the same one or were there multiples?

"Guess you're not crazy then," he murmured sardonically. The fire burning in the skull illuminated its face but that was the only thing either one of them were able to see. Once more it felt like the Reaper filled the entire room. Its mouth opened wide and they were both prepared for the screams but instead a deep, slow voice echoed out. It sounded as though it was speaking through bubbling mud.

"Pay….ment…" it demanded as it continued toward the two. The hand that was not holding the staff outstretched to them as though it was expecting something. Rose looked at the hand and then at Scorpius.

"It… wants payment… payment with what?" she asked. He stared back at her before frowning.

"How in the hell should I know? You're the brainiac," he grumbled. The Reaper became impatient and a low rumbling growl emitted from it before turning into a scream. Scorpius turned around and embraced Rose to him, shielding her with his body in preparation for the Reaper to attack.

Suddenly the screaming stopped as though the Reaper had been muted suddenly. Its jaw was wide open but once more there wasn't any sound. With a clatter, it clamored shut before turning away, appearing as though something had drawn its attention away. The fire went out in its eyes before it disappeared entirely. Suddenly, the room was flooded with light from the outside. Everything had gone back to normal.

"What…. happened?" Rose asked shakily as she looked around. It appeared that the Reaper had truly left. She was still in Scorpius' embrace and wasn't prepared to leave.

"Your guess is as good as mine," he replied as he looked around, confirming that the Reaper did in fact leave. His attention returned to Rose as he looked her over once more. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Rose nodded as she looked around. She wondered what sort of payment the Reaper had been looking for. It was nothing that she had heard of. Frowning, she also noticed that Julien was really nowhere to be seen. Her frown deepened as she also wondered how Scorpius knew where to find her. Didn't he say he was going to stay at the castle today?

"Hey wait a minute…" she started but was cut off as Scorpius grabbed her hand and began tugging her towards the window he had entered in. Once they were out of the shack and standing outside of the fence that surrounded it, did he allow for her to begin firing questions.

"Where's Julien?" she asked as she looked around. Had he been hurt? Did the Reaper take him or did he leave her alone to deal with it? Scorpius scoffed as he crossed his arms over his chest irritably.

"Wonderful date you chose. Pansy arsed bastard high-tailed it out of here and left you inside alone. You sure do know how to pick them," he grumbled, but secretly he was feeling rather smug. Julien might have been able to sweet talk her but he didn't have the balls to back anything up. In fact, maybe he owed Julien some gratitude because it made him look that much better. When he felt that he needed to prove himself he had no idea.

Rose wanted to be angry at Scorpius for his comments but honestly, she couldn't. She was just as pissed that Julien had ditched her and when she saw him next she was going to give him a piece of her mind. Of course he had been too good to be true. For someone who wanted to see a supposed haunted house he didn't stay very long.

"Yeah, yeah, story of my freaking life," she mumbled unhappily before sighing. Her dates never seemed to end well for one reason or another and quite frankly, she was exhausted from it. Her brows furrowed as her next question came to light.

"So, what were you doing here and how did you know where to find me?" she asked suspiciously. It seemed rather convenient actually. He had told both her and Lily that he was going to be staying at the castle all day. Even if he decided to go into Hogsmeade, how would he have known where to find her? It was not like the Shrieking Shack was the most popular place to bring a date.

Scorpius didn't answer for a good moment. What sort of excuse could he come up with that was plausible? Besides, Potter had already seen him and he was sure that by the time Rose headed back to the castle, she would have heard her cousin's version of things. The longer they stood in silence, the more impatient Rose became. It was clear that she was not going to let him get out of this one, not that she really let him get away with anything actually.

"Were you stalking me?!" she shrieked suddenly when he would not answer. He was startled by the loud noise and found himself flushing a bit at her accusation. It was not like he was stalking her per say…. but rather watching over her protectively.

"N-No, it's not like that," he began, hating that he was losing his composure. Looking off, he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I… uh… was worried about you," he mumbled very quietly, almost incoherently.

His face felt incredibly warm and he hated that he was out in the open having this conversation with her. Anyone could walk by and bear witness to it. It made him rather uneasy but he didn't want her pissed at him right now. She was always pissed at him and he was finding himself really hating it lately. They had been through a lot with the first task and he felt maybe they should attempt to be cordial. Granted that was more directed at himself than her. Rose put in a hell of a lot more effort than he did and she deserved more than that from him.

Rose was so shocked at his answer she had completely forgotten what she was going to yell at him. He was… worried about her? Why would he have been worried? Why did he care so much? It was so uncharacteristic that she was speechless. There was nothing but the sound of the wind rustling the nearby trees as the both of them remained silent. Scorpius was unable to look at her and Rose wasn't sure how to respond.

Finally gathering herself, she stepped towards Scorpius and gently placed her hand on his cheek and turned it so that he was facing her. His gaze locked with hers and she found herself searching their depths for the truth behind his words.

"Why… were you worried about me?" she whispered, her eyes never leaving his. The skin beneath her hand was warm and she could see his blush spreading across his cheeks and nose, creeping so far as to down his neck.

Scorpius indulged in the feel of her soft touch pressed against his blazing face. She was so gentle and he caught the scent of her musk scented perfume that she must have dabbed on the inside of her wrist. His stomach churned in jealousy as he realized that she was wearing that for Julien. Normally, she had her own fiery cinnamon scent with a hint of something floral that was uniquely her own. He wasn't overly fond of the fake crap she had on especially because it wasn't for him.

"I… didn't want you to be taken advantage of. Guys can't be trusted and… neither one of us knows anything really about that prat," he mumbled, unable to tear his gaze away from hers. It was nice to not have her glaring at him or screaming. While he enjoyed her hot-headed nature most days, it was pleasant to witness her softer side, especially when it was directed at him. It had his mind racing with several different fantasies within seconds.

Taking in his words, it was hard for Rose to believe that this was Scorpius Malfoy that she was speaking two. Never in all of the time that they had known one another had she ever recalled him worrying about her. In fact, he was usually the one causing her distress and misery. Whatever the change was, she was thankful for it until she realized he was practically making her out to be a damsel in distress. Her hand fell from his face and an unhappy look marred her features.

"What are you trying to say, that I can't handle myself?" she snapped. Scorpius' eyes widened as once more he was taken aback by her response. What was with her? He couldn't win for losing. It seemed like no matter what he said she was going to be mad at him. This was what he got for trying. He felt the loss of her touch like cold water drenching his body. Already he missed it.

"Damn woman, quit twisting everything!" he growled. "I know you are capable of handling yourself but look at your track record already. You're practically Danger Prone Daphne this year! So fuck me for trying to do something decent!" He was hurt and it was coming out as anger. She wanted a nicer side of him, but when he tried she didn't believe him.

Rose hated that he was right. If this year was proof to anything it was that she was like a magnet to danger. As it was he had helped save her from the Reaper. While it wasn't Julien as he had been concerned with, he was right where she needed him to be. Immediately, she felt ashamed for her reaction and her own face stained red.

Noticing that Scorpius was turning to leave, she panicked and rushed to him, pressing her body against him as she wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. They had been sharing a nice moment and for once it wasn't him who was ruining it. While it was definitely hard to trust him because of his ever changing moods, he really was worried about her and had come to her rescue.

For a whole minute, Scorpius could not breathe as a most wonderful sensation washed over his body. Rose was pressed securely against his frame and he could feel every supple curve of her soft body. He was not disappointed that was for sure. His arms hovered awkwardly around her for a moment before slowly settling against her frame securely. She was acting rather bipolar right now. Any minute now and he was expecting that she was going to slap him.

Her arms tightened around him to keep him from moving any further as she pressed her face against his chest. There was a faint scent of some sort of masculine cologne that she was sure made all the girls weak in the knees. However, it was the rich fragrance of burning wood that permeated her senses. It was like he enjoyed being near fireplaces, not that she could blame him. There was something soothing and mesmerizing about sitting in front of a slow burning fire as it crackled and danced.

"I'm sorry… thank you for saving me… again," she said quietly as she indulged in the feel of his body around hers. Oh yeah, there was something very intoxicating about this man. It should be illegal.

"Yeah… don't mention it," he said as he gazed down at her. It seemed so right to have her there in his arms. She fit perfectly. "No, really don't mention it. I'm sure Potter would kill me." A frown creased his brow at the thought of her nosey arse cousin. That git couldn't keep his nose out of his business for the life of him.

"Don't worry about him," she said airily as she released him with a sigh. "Well, today was a bust. I'm going to head back to the castle. If you see Julien before I do, kick him for me, will ya?" Scorpius' signature smirk slid onto his face before he could stop it. He was oh too thrilled with her being pissed off at the other man.

"With relish," he said joyfully, earning a light smack to his chest from Rose. She shook her head disapprovingly but he could see there was a smile on her lips. He was about to offer to walk her back to the castle when he saw Potter jogging their way. Great, he was the last idiot that he felt like dealing with currently.

Albus exchanged a glare with Malfoy but for the first time, he said nothing snarky. While he wasn't sure why Rose and Scorpius were together, he was slowly having to come to terms that they would always be together for one reason or another. He just hoped that it would end when the tournament did. It was killing him not to fight with the prat but he knew that he needed to stop. Rose was family and her happiness mattered. Currently, it looked as though she was not upset so he would leave it at that.

"Where's Julien?" he asked as he caught his breath. He wondered if Malfoy had done something to sabotage her date. That thought alone was almost enough to shatter his resolve but he restrained himself. Rose's wrath was not something he wanted to incur again so soon.

"Hopefully lying in a ditch somewhere," she mumbled darkly. Both Scorpius and Albus' jaws dropped at her uncharacteristically dismal answer. The Slytherin was the first to regain his composure, a sly smirk gracing his features.

"Looks like I'm rubbing off on you. I can arrange that. Just pick the ditch," he said with a sly smirk, earning a malicious glare from Albus.

"I certainly hope not. Rose has much more class and sense than you do," Albus growled before gazing at his cousin with concern. "Things go that bad?" When she didn't answer, he knew that it had to be.

"I don't want to talk about it. I'll see you two later," she said as she turned and headed back towards the castle, her arms wrapped around her.

A moment of silence passed between the two men as they watched the red head take her leave. Albus shoved his hands in his pockets and Scorpius crossed his arms over his chest. Neither one said a word but they both appeared to be in thought.

"Hey," Albus mumbled, causing Scorpius to glance at him from the corner of his eyes.

"What?"

"You find the bastard and I'll help you bury him." A sinister smirk slid across Scorpius' face at this response. Now that was something the both of them could agree on.

A fortnight had passed and Rose found herself finally looking at the coin that she and Scorpius had received from the first task. Despite her desire to get a head start on everything, she didn't want to think about the second task right away. The first task had taken so much out of her and been difficult for her to get over the fact that they had placed last in the event.

She had found out that the first task had been judged out of fifty points. Durmstrang had scored the highest, earning forty-seven points and Beauxbatons came in second with forty-three points. Hogwarts had come in dead last with thirty-eight points. It hurt that they had lost so badly but that meant that they would have to do exceptionally well in the next two tasks.

It was this determination that led her to where she was right now. Wallowing over how terribly they had done was not going to get them to do any better for the next task if she let her depression get the best of her. She had no idea where Scorpius was right now but that was no surprise.

After a few days had passed since the first task, he had gone back to being moody and isolated. He was much nicer to her but a few times they had gotten into a tiff about something stupid. It was the same old nonsense but it was nowhere near as bad as it used to be. Even Albus and Hugo seemed to have been begrudgingly more tolerable.

She didn't have time to wait for Scorpius to become interested in the second task. Yes, they had approximately three months before the second task was due but she wanted to make sure there was more than enough time to prepare. They had been informed that the coin they retrieved from the first task would give them clues for the next one. Scorpius had pretty much asked her to solve the first task and she didn't expect anything else with the rest of the tournament. If his life wasn't on the line as well, she wouldn't be helping him.

Laying comfortably on her bed, she began inspecting the coin thoroughly. Right after the first task, she had taken the liberty to carefully clean all of the serpent slime that had been stuck to it. It shone dully in the light and appeared to be made from bronze. While it was indeed a coin it was crudely created. The edges were rough and it was far from round as it appeared to have been beaten into its lumpy shape by a small hammer. It felt like it was something ancient and from another time.

Sliding her fingers across the surface, she found a raised design on the front. It looked like an upturned crescent moon, positioned like a wide grin. If the edges touched one another it would be a perfect circle. Connected to the center of the crescent and dragging downwards was a rough sort of looking cross. To finish off the design was a single dot in the middle of the space created by the crescent shape.

A frown crossed Rose's features as she did not recognize the rune in the least bit. It was something that she was going to have to research. Hopefully, it was a clue and would bring her that much closer to finding out what the second task was going to entail.

On the back of the coin was an indented design that she was surprised didn't show through to the other side. Peering at it closely, she could see that it was actually words.

 _vae animae iter incipit_

She recognized it as Latin but she wasn't quite sure what it said. Due to her proficiency in Herbology, which utilized Latin for the proper names of different plants, she was at least pretty decent in the language. It wouldn't be hard to look up what it actually meant.

For another moment, she continued to gaze at the coin, flipping it through her fingers as she turned it over and over again. Running her fingers along the grooves and ridges, she continued her inspection. The coin was roughly the size of an American half-dollar but about twice as thick. It wasn't any sort of currency she had ever seen, at lease in this day and era.

After taking a few notes on the various items she wanted to research, she gently placed the coin in a velvet lined box that had been provided to them after the tournament. This way, it wouldn't get lost. She placed the box on her night stand before she stretched out on her bed and gazed up at the ceiling.

There was a lot on her mind, concerning both the tournament and her everyday life. After her failed date with Julien, she had lost any and all desire to pursue him and apparently he had felt the same. In fact, in the past two weeks she hadn't seen him at. Apparently Julien didn't want to see her any more than she wanted to see him. The prat. Just thinking about him made her feel annoyed and irritable.

Expelling a deep breath, she slid off of the bed and decided to do something else with her free time. The winter holiday has just started and she was already caught up on all of her schoolwork. What she needed to do was find Scorpius and force him into researching this task with her but she knew that was easier said than done. The man had been elusive for the last few weeks and she wondered if he was up to something.

Deciding that she had enough of being cooped up in the room, she promptly left and headed into the corridor. She had no real destination in mind. Maybe she could enlist Lily or one of the boys in playing Exploding Snap or maybe chess. Anything would be a better alternative to being alone right now. Just as she was about to turn the corner, she heard angry voices echoing against the stone walls. Frowning, she slowed her steps and poked her head around the bend to see what she might possibly be interrupting.

"Shut it you!" an angry voice hissed followed by the sounds of someone struggling. Albus currently had someone pinned against the wall and he was absolutely pissed.

"Is zis zee way you treat your guests at 'ogwarts?!" an accented voice yelled in response. The voice belonged to Julien and while he was angry, it was clear that fear was starting to creep in.

"Only the cowardly arseholes. Did you really think you could hide until the tournament was over?" came another, snarky voice. With his arms crossed over his chest and his signature smirk in place, Scorpius could be seen hovering to the side. He was itching to take out some of his anger on the git in front of him.

For the last two weeks both Albus and Scorpius had been trying to hunt down Julien to get answers out of him for ditching Rose. It appeared that the foreign student was rather slippery and elusive. He always seemed to dodge out of reach whenever they were around. Some sort of self-preservation must have kicked in because he knew that he was in a world of hurt if he was ever caught. Even Lily and Hugo had tried their luck at cornering him. They speculated that he had asked his group of classmates to shield him and be on the lookout.

Rose's family had hoped that the date with Julien would have gone well as they wished that Rose would be able to find some sort of happiness. Scorpius just wanted to kill the bastard for endangering Rose and making the moves on his partner. No, he would not admit that he wanted her for himself. He just didn't like the pansy bastard and Rose deserved better than that. Someone like him. Wait, no, that wasn't right. Was it?

It had been Albus who approached Scorpius about their temporary truce so that they could work together to teach Julien a lesson. He had been getting nowhere in dealing with the git, so his last resort had been Scorpius. If their history of violence towards one another taught Albus anything, it was that Scorpius could find anyone and make them miserable. His point had been proven when Julien had finally been cornered which brought them to their current scene.

"I am not a coward," Julien mumbled defensively. Albus and Scorpius shared an incredulous look. Was the prat really that dense?

"Oh so it wasn't you screaming and stumbling out of the Shrieking Shack? My mistake," Scorpius said, his voice thick with sarcasm and venom.

"Zere was a monster! It was going to attack me!" he cried, wincing when Albus fisted the front of his robes, pulled him forward and then slammed him back against the stone wall angrily.

"You left my cousin in there you bastard! It was your job to protect her! What if Malfoy hadn't been there to save her, huh?!" he growled as he glared daggers at the man in front of him.

It was odd for Scorpius to hear Potter say anything even remotely kind in regards to himself. This whole moment was even stranger. Never would he ever thought that he would be working with Potter under a common cause under any circumstance. If this year proved anything it was that the impossible seemed to be happening. Potter was asking for his help and Rose was his partner who always seemed to need him lately. The latter made his chest feel warm as a protective feeling wash over him. It was because she needed him that he was so pissed at Julien. Had he not come along, what would have happened? He shuddered at the thought and felt his own anger surge.

"It was not my job. We were on a date, zat is it. I am not 'er boyfriend or partner," he said weakly, preparing for Albus' anger once more.

"Thank merlin for that," mumbled Scorpius, earning an odd look from Potter over his shoulder.

"Besides, she is strong. She can take care of 'erself," Julien continued. This time, Scorpius' anger was too much. Shoving Potter out of the way, he slugged Julien hard in the jaw, watching as he crumpled to the floor and whining in pain. Not allowing him a moment to recover, he hoisted the man up before delivering a blow to his stomach, causing him to cough heavily.

"H-Hey! Chill out, Malfoy!" Albus yelled as he yanked the Slytherin's arm back and away from Julien. While he had been on the receiving end of Scorpius' malice before, it was nothing compared to the fire that was snapping in his eyes currently. There was something possessive and protective about his behavior. It was as though Rose belonged to him and honestly, Albus wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"You wanted my help and this is me helping!" Scorpius snarled as he flung Potter off of him. Running a hand over his hair, he smoothed down a few strands that had come loose.

"Stop it! All of you!" Rose screeched as she came out of her hiding spot and ran over to the three of them. Yes, she might have enjoyed the fact that they were torturing Julien in her honor but enough was enough. She could tell by his mood that Scorpius would have continued if not stopped. The last thing she wanted was for his anger to be turned on Albus.

Albus was surprised at Rose's appearance. He had hoped that she would not find out about this until much, much later, seeing as how it was inevitable that she would discover what was going on. Oddly enough, however, she didn't look mad, just concerned. Damn she was too nice of a person sometimes. Julien had screwed her over and she was still worried about him.

"Julien, get out of here," she said tensely. He murmured something in French before heading her words and taking off. A long, exasperated sigh fell from Rose's lips as she looked at the unlikely pair. For a moment, she was convinced that she was in some sort of alternate reality. Why the two of them were associating with one another without fighting was beyond her.

"You let him go," Albus mumbled unhappily as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"You can't beat people up just because they make you unhappy," Rose lectured.

"I beg to differ. I do it all the time," Scorpius said lightly, his anger dissipating slightly. What he really wanted to do was follow Julien and beat him to a bloody pulp but he had a feeling that would not work out too well in his favor, especially with Rose around.

"That's a terrible thing to do!" she grumbled as a frown appeared on her face. For a moment she just looked back and forth between the two, hoping for some explanation of their behavior. It was finally Albus who spoke up.

"He needed to be taught a lesson for what he did to you. You don't endanger someone just because you're a coward. Family looks out for family, Rose and you know that. It would be no different if the tables were flipped."

Scorpius felt a heavy weight plummet deep into the pit of his stomach at Potter's speech. Rose and Albus were family but what was he and Rose? He didn't mean anything to her and it was becoming increasingly obvious that she was starting to mean something to him. Where did he fit into all of this? Did he even fit into all of this? He hated the feeling that was slowly starting to take over him and replace his anger. He was becoming too aware of the fact that he did not belong in their circle whatsoever.

Potter and he were working together briefly but they had been united in anger. Everything would change once more and they would be at each other's throats. While this did not bother him per say, it upset Rose and lately, his moods had been directly linked to hers.

Unable to deal with his current emotions, he said nothing as he turned on his heel and began walking away from the two and down the hall. What was he doing in the first place? Did he really want to become a part of her family? Did he really want to mean something to her? The answer was yes and he was hating it.

"Scorpius, wait! We need to talk!" Rose called out as she ran after him, leaving Albus alone. There was something up with the blond haired male and she wanted to find out what it was. For the last two weeks she had hardly seen him and even now he was acting much stranger than normal.

"What could we possibly have to talk about?" he sneered as he rounded another corner, not slowing down in the least bit for her.

"Malfoy, dammit, hold on!" she huffed as she had to run to catch up to him. Next thing Scorpius knew; he was being pushed against the nearby corridor wall with Rose pressed heavily against him. She had shoved him rather roughly as he felt the back of his head smack the wall, causing him to grip her shoulders in pain and anger.

"What the fuck, Weasley!?" he growled as he glared at her. He was feeling overly emotional which was such a rarity he could barely comprehend that was what he was feeling. All he wanted to do was be alone and lick his wounds while he tried to compose himself.

Rose returned his glare, finding that she really hated him calling her by her surname. It surprised her that she had come to enjoy him saying her first name. Actually, she was wondering why she was just now noticing how dependent she had become upon him. With him using her name, it actually felt like they were equals and partners instead of enemies. Her hands gripped the front of his robes tightly as her gaze never broke from his.

"Don't call me that," she demanded, her brows furrowed. It took Scorpius a moment to realize what she was getting at. He couldn't even remember the last time he hadn't used her first name. It felt foreign on his tongue and it was only because of his mixed emotions that he had cursed as he did. He knew that he was taking out on her the feelings that he could not express nor come to terms with. His automatic defense was to attack.

"You started it," he grumbled, admitting in his own way that he hated her calling him by his surname as well.

"Real mature. What the hell is going on with you? Why are you acting like this?" she asked, her glare lessening a bit but not by much. While she was used to Scorpius being bipolar and practically insane, this was odd behavior even for him. "Not that I don't mind you working together with Albus, I just wish it was under better circumstances."

"What the hell does it matter anyways? Things are going to go back to how they are anyways," he said bitterly as he broke from her gaze, finding it very hard to look at her right now. If he wasn't feeling so cornered currently, he might have taken great pleasure in her being pressed against him while forcing him against the wall. However, she was trying to extract his thoughts and feelings which wasn't a pleasant moment for him. He wasn't the "sharing" type. That was for women and pansies.

Rose released her grip on him just as bit so that now her hands were lying flat against his chest. Scorpius was acting very touchy and she had a sneaking suspicion it was because he was feeling hurt. What did he have to feel hurt about? If she didn't know any better, she would have thought that he was jealous over her and Albus' closeness. After having witness his family interaction, she knew that he was never given true family interaction. At least one that did not come with high expectations.

"Are you wanting…. to belong?" she asked gently. "I have seen your family and I know that there isn't a real closeness between all of you. Is it real companionship that you seek?" Scorpius scoffed at her response, frowning deeply.

"I have plenty of companions or have you failed to notice the girls that practically drop their panties at my feet?" he sneered with a nasty smirk. While Rose knew that she should have been offended, she wasn't. The undertone to his voice indicated that he was rather bitter at that fact. What good was company when it meant absolutely nothing.

"That's not what I mean and you know it. Your so called 'friends' are bastards who don't give a damn about you. They hover around you because of your name. I'm sure most of your… female 'companions' are just the same. No one looks at you for you nor gives a damn about you—"

"Oh gee, such sweet and comforting words. You should be a therapist," he interjected, attempting to push her off of him but she would not budge. For someone so tiny, she had a hell of a lot of strength.

"Let me finish you arse," she growled before continuing. "I care about you, Scorpius. I know it's unlikely and you may not believe me but I like to think that we have been through enough together to drop some of these pretenses." There was a light blush staining her cheeks as she admitted, at least on a small scale, her feelings to him.

Not knowing while, Scorpius noticed that his heart was racing all of a sudden. She hadn't admitted anything great but to even admit that she cared was a lot for the both of them. They had spent so many years fighting against one another. It was hard to believe that so much had changed in this year alone. However, he could not admit to the feelings plaguing him. He could not admit to the fantasies he had so frequently concerning the red head pressed against his body. He could not admit to the way his heart yearned for her. Things would never work between them.

"That's brilliant. Can you let go of me now?" he mumbled half-heartedly. He knew that he needed to get away from her but damn his body was refusing to listen. It wanted her and only her despite how his brain was yelling to run as fast as he could.

Growling irritably, she wanted to smack Scorpius really hard. He was being unreasonably stubborn for merlin only knew what reasons. It was plain as day to her that he was feeling cast out and lonely. She hated that she wanted to help him and to soothe his pain but if it was one thing that she had learned, fighting against her feelings rarely got her anywhere. While she liked to think of herself as rational and smart, her emotions did get the upper hand from time to time.

"Fine, whatever. I tried to help you. For someone who was so damned worried about Julien doing something to me, you don't seem to give a damn now. Guess it only matters when you are putting on a show, eh? Maybe I should go find him and try to reconcile," she growled before turning away from Scorpius with the intent on leaving.

Once more, Scorpius felt a fire ignite his blood with such deep rage that he could have sworn that he tasted it. Even after all of this, she wanted to see that bastard. The jealousy and anger that pulsed through him was too much to hold back. Reaching out, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back with much more force than he had intended. She came crashing into him as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Don't," he begged, his voice barely above a whisper. Swallowing hard, he refused to let her go. There was no way that he could let her go.

Absolutely caught off guard, Rose found herself pressed into the Slytherin's chest, her senses immediately being filled with his rich scent. She hadn't expected him to react so fiercely and so suddenly. Her heart immediately began racing at his obvious possessiveness. The blush returned to her cheeks as she found herself slowly wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Don't what?" she asked gently, trying to urge some sort of coherent response out of him. She wanted to know exactly what he was thinking and feeling. Honestly, she wasn't sure how much more of his back and forth behavior she was going to be able to endure. She wanted him and she had a feeling he wanted her too but was too scared of altering his reputation.

"Just…. Don't," he said quietly still as he laid his chin on top of her head. She felt so perfect and he wasn't about to share her with anyone else. All he wanted was this moment with her. For just a moment he could forget that he was a Malfoy and he could indulge in his desires. Would it be so terrible to give in, for just a moment? Gazing down at her perfect face, he knew that he needed to have her, one way or another.

"Scopius—" Rose started but found her response cut off by the feel of something warm and soft, gently pressing against her lips. Her mind could barely comprehend what was happening. Was he really kissing her?! It felt like her heart might explode out of her chest but she knew that this was what she wanted. For quite some time now, he was all she wanted. Her eyes fluttered shut as she returned the kiss she had been desiring for so long now.

A soft growl emanated from Scorpius, rumbling low in his chest as he indulged in her sweet taste. She was so much sweeter than he could have ever imagined and he found himself wanting more. His embrace tightened just a bit as he deepened the kiss, determined to explore every crevice of her mouth. He wasn't allowing his brain to take hold of the situation even slightly. This was what his heart and body wanted and merlin be damned he wasn't going to deny himself any longer.

Softly moaning in response to him, Rose gently gripped the front of his robes once more as she returned his desire for exploration. Her body felt so hot, like she might burst into flames at any moment if she did not satisfy her craving for him. His taste, his passion, and his desire was absolutely intoxicating and she did not wish to stop until she was unequivocally drunk on him.

Once it felt as though his lungs were going to burst, Scorpius disappointingly broke from the kiss but kept his lips close, lightly ghosting hers. His own eyes remained shut as he allowed for his body to take in everything about her. A desire like he had never known was coursing through his body and he wanted nothing more than to give in.

Rose felt shivers erupt throughout her body, causing goosebumps to prickle along her skin at the feel of his breath mingling with hers as they both attempted to breathe again. His lips were still so close and so very tempting.

"Rose….I…."


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **A/N: Oh yeah, my muse was with me this time so I was able to update pretty quickly. The ideas are flowing so hopefully I will have the next chapter up pretty soon too. Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews. Some of you guys are some clever duckies :D Keep reading and reviewing please! I cannot stress enough how happy it makes me to hear from you guys. A happy author means faster updates and amazing chapters. 3**

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 14*~**

"…I'm sorry…" Scorpius said gently as the realization of what he had just done washed over him like cold water. He had kissed Rose Weasley and enjoyed it more than he had ever enjoyed kissing any woman. She was so sweet and soft but this could never be. A moment of weakness had shattered his resolve which led him to this current situation. Apparently, however, she didn't seem to mind it either. No, he couldn't give himself that sort of hope. His family and her family would never allow for it.

Releasing her as though she was made of something toxic, he moved passed her and hurriedly made his way down the hallway. He could hear her calling after him but he could not stop. If he stopped and looked back into the pleading, blue eyes, he would be undone all over again. Never in his whole life had he wanted anything more than her and for once, being a Malfoy did not work in his favor.

"Scorpius, wait!" Rose called after him but he had already disappeared from sight. She had never seen him leave a scene so quickly. Sighing heavily, she lightly pressed her fingertips to her lips which were still tingling from his kiss. Sure she had been kissed before but never like that. Nothing had left her with such unfulfilled desire. Her cheeks were still flushed as she looked around, trying to get her bearings.

"What…. did I just witness?" Albus asked quietly as he approached his cousin wide-eyed. Rose groaned loudly as she turned to face him. Why couldn't he have just left like he was supposed to? Her cousin's need to hover around her was starting to get out of hand. While he may not have really trusted Scorpius, he at least worked with him long enough to beat on Julien. Right now, the last thing she wanted was to be interrogated.

"Al, I'm not in the mood for this right now," she said exasperatedly as she looked off in the direction that Scorpius had left. The Gryffindor shoved his hands in his pockets and began looking at the floor awkwardly.

"Maybe you should…. You know… follow him… or something?" he struggled, refusing to look at her. Rose's own eyes widened in surprise as she gazed at him. Was he saying what she thought he was?

"Are you giving me your permission?" she asked gently, not that she really needed it anyways. Albus didn't say anything but that was enough for her. Gently she hugged him.

"Thanks… but I have learned with him that prodding him before he's ready never ends well," she explained. A small smile crept onto her face as she once more thought of the kiss. It would be impossible for her to forget.

"Yeah okay…. but stop doing that. It's weirding me out that Malfoy was the cause of it," he said as he poked the corner of her mouth, only causing her to smile a bit more.

"You'll get over it," she said as she linked her arm with his and forced him to walk down the hall with her. 

She knew that she should have been more upset that Scorpius had just ditched her like that, but that was how he was. The kiss, she felt, was a step forward in whatever their relationship was. She was fully expecting him to deny what happened but a small part of her hoped that he would come to terms with it and maybe they could actually become something. Though, if his awful mood returned, as it had a tendency to do, she was going to knock him around a bit herself.

Albus grumbled a bit as he walked with his cousin. He still didn't like Scorpius but if the fiasco with Julien had shown him anything it was that he was protective over Rose. While he didn't treat her as well as she deserved, he could see room for improvement. However, if he treated her like he did all his other girls, it was his face next he would be pounding into the pavement.

Deciding that now would be an apropos time for lunch, the pair headed to the Great Hall. Rose's mind was still spinning with everything that had happened with Scorpius. If Albus hadn't witnessed it and interrogated her, she would have been convinced that she had imagined it. She would be lying if she said that she didn't want to go after Scorpius but things like this needed time with him. However, she wasn't going to give him that much time. Her feelings still mattered after all.

Looking around, she spotted Hugo and Lily sitting at one of the long tables. Lily wasn't paying attention to Hugo at all though. In fact, he rather looked like the third wheel as she was chatting away happily with someone. Upon further inspection, Rose could see that it was Alek Dragoni.

True to her word, soon after the first task she had introduced the two. It appeared that the Durmstrang Champion had taken a liking to her younger cousin. Albus had not been thrilled in the least bit, especially after seeing what Julien did to herself. However, after much coaxing and several threats, she was able to get him to lay off. Hugo was much harder to convince though.

Lily and Hugo had been super close since birth, much like Rose and Albus. Seeing as how the two were practically the same age, it was no wonder. They were more brother and sister than close cousins. Hugo had always been incredibly protective over Lily and because she was the baby of both families, she had to endure him, and her two older brothers.

Currently, Hugo looked as though he was sulking as he moodily pushed his food around his plate. He seemed genuinely bothered by the newcomer but perked up when he saw Albus and Rose. Rose sat in front of Lily with Albus to her right and Hugo in front of him. Only when they sat down, did Lily seem to notice that she wasn't alone.

"Oh, heya, Rose. Are you done hiding away?" Lily asked with a smile. There was a certain flush to her cheeks and her eyes were bright. She seemed rather smitten with the man. Rose had to fight the compulsion to advise her against her current interest. Durmstrang students were known for their expertise in the Dark Arts and they knew just as little about him as they had Julien and he turned out to be an absolute arse. Regardless of how she felt, it was Lily's life and she wasn't going to interfere like the boys tried. She would just be there if she was needed and hex the man into oblivion if necessary.

"I was not 'hiding' for your information. I was researching," she said vaguely as she eyed Alek.

The afternoon light filtering into the Great Hall seemed to make his strawberry blond hair glow and his brown eyes to sparkle. It only accentuated his angelic features. For a moment she wondered if he really was a Durmstrang student. They had all seemed so dark and moody, except for him. Silently she chastised herself for being so judgmental. The tournament was supposed to be about cooperation and friendly competition amongst a variety of witches and wizards.

"Vhat do you think of the tournament so far?" Alek asked as he looked over at Rose.

"Well, it's no walk in the park, that's for sure. I heard that you and Damien did well, congrats," she said gently even though it tasted bitter. Just because it was an event to promote cooperation that didn't make her any less competitive. Though, she only had herself and Scorpius to blame for falling into last place.

"Thank you. Ve did our best. Though, I must admit, I am concerned about your partnership. You and that other man do not seem to get alone vell," he observed. Rose awkwardly picked at the food on her plate as she recalled just how well she and Scorpius seemed to get along just moments ago. Albus looked rather uncomfortable as well. Lily wasn't paying attention to anyone but Alek but Hugo noticed that the two seemed off.

"Yeah, those two have never gotten along. Been that way for a while," Lily explained as she broke her attention away from Alek in favor of eating her untouched lunch.

"That is a shame. I hope you two vork everything out. To win this competition vith a handicap vould be no real vin," he said with a grin.

"Oh you are seriously mistaken buddy if you think that Durmstrang is going to win," Albus said with a smirk, challenging the man. Rose groaned softly. Yes, she may be competitive but Albus was even more so which was only spurred on further by his ever expanding ego. Alek lifted his goblet and took a sip of his drink but his eyes never left Albus' challenging ones.

"I do believe it vas I who bested you in our most recent duel," he reminded him. Frowning, Albus had to resist the urge to stick his tongue out at him.

"That may be so but Rose is better than I. You have been warned," he threatened lightly as Rose nudged him a bit. Her cheeks were slightly pink at the high praise.

"Behave," she chastised.

"I am. It's just friendly banter, am I right?" he asked as he looked to Alek who merely nodded, a hint of a smirk on his lips.

"So, what were you two talking about?" Rose asked, indicating to Alek and Lily. She wanted to get the subject off of her and the tournament.

"Everything. Even mundane things like the weather," Hugo mumbled with great annoyance. He really didn't like Alek. There was something about him that was off and it bothered him a great deal. Rose arched a delicate brow in his direction, wondering what was eating at him so badly.

Hugo had been a loner for most of his life and it wasn't until they had come to Hogwarts that she had really seen him come alive and be social. There were a few people that he hung out with outside of family but he was especially close to Lily. She wondered if the girl had been ignoring him because of Alek. It would be normal and understandable but she worried that Hugo's feelings were hurt. The last thing she wanted him to do was close himself off to everyone. Despite being family, Lily really was the closest friend that he had and the two were so intuitive to one another it was like they were twins. She supposed it had something to do with how close they were in age and being brought up together.

"The weather is interesting when you are talking about two locations," Lily scoffed defensively. "Alek was telling me how this weather is quite warm compared to the cold that he's used to and I think that's fascinating."

It was so obvious that Lily was smitten with Alek that it was almost too painful to watch. Rose was surprised that she was being as apparent as she was considering who her audience was. Hugo and Albus had a tendency to get out of hand when it came to her dating, as Lily had mentioned before when Lysander asked her out.

Albus currently, was far too emotionally drained to really care. After the Julien debacle and then witnessing Rose and Scorpius, he had enough of the older brother/cousin role. What was it with the women that they seemed to go after the foreign guys? Better yet, why did they go after the guys that were not good for them? He shook his head, lost in his own thoughts.

Alek watched the group with interest. They had quite the dynamic even if he didn't quite understand it. It was noticeable that they were close with one another. He hadn't figured out quite yet if they were close friends or family. Rose was the only one he was semi familiar with but that was because she was one of the Hogwarts champions. The only thing he knew about her was her name and that she was close to Lily. The younger girl had wanted to be introduced to him and it was clear that she fancied him. She wasn't unattractive, that was for sure.

"Excuse me…. But who are all of you?" Alek finally asked after a good moment. He wanted to understand the dynamic a bit more. Lily flushed a bit in embarrassment, realizing just how rude she had been.

"Oh Merlin, I'm so sorry. Well, you know Rose, she's my older cousin. Then there's Hugo who is her younger brother and my cousin. Then there's Albus over there. He's my older brother and I have another older brother, James, but he graduated last year," she explained quickly as she indicated to each person in turn. Alek flashed her a gentle smile that she visibly melted at.

"It seems you have a large family. I am an only child. It must be nice," he said as he looked at everyone. He noticed that Hugo looked rather unhappy but he did not pry.

"This is only a fraction of it. We are a massive family indeed," Lily said with a wide smile. Albus held up his hand to his face so that it would be blocked as he turned to Rose and made a gagging gesture. What had gotten in to his sister? He had never seen her so smitten. Rose pinched his arm disapprovingly as she smiled back at Lily and Alek.

"I've had enough of this," Hugo grumbled quietly before standing up and leaving, no longer feeling hungry. He had been trying to explain to Lily that something was off about the Durmstrang male but she refused to listen. For the first time in their entire life, she had shut him down completely. While he was completely for her dating someone, he felt that she was being unreasonable. Since Alek had started talking to her, she had been acting unlike herself and it wasn't in a good sort of way.

"Is he okay?" Alek questioned as he watched the young man walk away. Lily waved her hand dismissively, but she did feel a bit bad that Hugo seemed so upset.

"He'll be fine," she responded but offered no more explanation than that. "So you said that you were an only child, huh? Must be quiet."

"Yes, perhaps too quiet. It can be lonesome. Though I suppose it is like that phrase, 'the grass is alvays greener on the other side,'" he said with a wry smile.

"I suppose so. I guess the quiet would be nice once and a while but above all else I would miss my family if they were gone," she said gently as she flashed Rose and Albus an appreciative smile.

Once more, Alek observed the group. Indeed, they were close and family meant a lot to them. That was a concept that he was not familiar with. His family was not the loving sort of family. It had always been about his studies and advancing his abilities. For a moment he was envious, recalling several "constructive" lessons his father had taught him. He had the scars to remind him of several of the more particular lessons. No, there was nothing loving about his family.

"Vhat is going on?" a deep, sulking voice inquired behind Rose, causing her to turn around. She was faced with a rather broad man whom she recognized as the second Durmstrang Champion, Damien Krum.

"Come join us. Ve vere just chatting," Alek responded as he indicated to the empty seat to the left of Rose. Damien seemed rather uneasy but regardless he sat down, though rather stiffly. His spine was ram rod straight and he had his forearms resting on the table top. Rose felt slightly intimidated by him. He was much larger at such a close proximity.

"You are not spilling secrets, are you?" Damien asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at his partner. Alek waved his hand in an aloof manner, a grin in place.

"Nonsense. Just conversing. Ve need to engage with one another. This is a friendly competition after all," he explained. Damien inclined his head slightly but said nothing more as he began piling food on his plate. Before she knew what she was doing, Rose was staring at him for a good minute as she tried to recall why his name sounded so familiar. His eyes met hers and she felt her face flush a deep red at having been caught.

"Vhat can I help you vith?" he asked in a gruff voice, pausing in his endeavors with his food. Rose smoothed her hair down nervously as she tried to compose herself.

"Your name's Krum. I was just wondering if you were related to the famous Bulgarian Quidditch player, Viktor Krum," she replied, immediately catching Albus' attention.

Before the World Cup match for Bulgaria versus Brazil, Albus' father had introduced him and his brother to Viktor Krum. The player had been in retirement for some time but it had been a thrill that he had come back specifically for the match. Despite having retired, Victor Krum was not rusty by any means. It was had been an incredible match.

"I've met Viktor before. He's brilliant," Albus complimented, a wide grin on his face. Damien looked a bit awkward and did not return the smile. However, his eyes did seem a bit brighter if nothing else.

"He is my father," he replied simply before going back to his food.

Rose and Albus looked at one another with wide eyes but did not wish to further embarrass the man. It was also common knowledge, though her father hated it, that her mother had once had a brief romance with Viktor when she went to school during the last Triwizard Tournament. It was an odd thought that maybe, in a different time and place, that Viktor Krum could have been her father.

"'oo is Albus Potter?" a soft, melodic voice sang out from somewhere to Albus' right. Looking up, his jaw dropped at the beauty that had approached their ever-expanding group. The woman had long blonde hair and gorgeous crystalline eyes. Throwing her hair over her shoulder impatiently, she glared at the group.

"Ah…um…uh…" Albus stuttered, making a complete fool of himself.

Rose shook her head disapprovingly. She recognized the woman to be the Beauxbatons Champion, Antoinette Chevalier. Behind her, looking a bit shy with features reminiscent of a fairy, was Marie Beauchamp the other Beauxbatons Champion. She was much shorter than Antoinette as she only came up to her shoulder. Her shiny caramel hair was cut semi short and flared out in a pixie fashion.

Nudging Albus hard in the ribs, Rose attempted to get his attention. Her cousin was making an honest fool out of himself and Antoinette looked positively venomous as she looked over the group. Considering that Hugo had left the table, the only men remaining were the Durmstrang males and Albus. It seemed absurd that she was even asking who Albus was because it was more than obvious. She was putting on a show and Rose was not amused.

"Those are the Beauxbatons Champions," Rose explained, jogging Albus' memory. He broke from his stupor slightly, becoming suspicious of as to why they were in search of him.

"Who wants to know?" he inquired as he sat up a bit, looking at the two girls directly. Marie began whispering something to Antoinette in French, causing the blonde to frown deeper.

"You are Albus Potter. You 'ave attacked one of our classmates and zis is unacceptable!" she declared angrily. Albus could do nothing but stare blankly at the two as he tried to understand what they were talking about. Looking over at Rose, he frowned as he wracked his brains. He would never ever assault a woman. His mother and father had raised him much better than that.

"I have done no such thing. No one from your school has even spoken to me," he said. "Perhaps you have me mistaken." This seemed to anger the Beauxbaton woman further as she began jabbing her finger into the center of Albus' chest.

"I am not mistaken! You are zee one 'oo 'urt Julien!" she said more firmly, her voice becoming louder. Already a few students were looking their way in interest. Albus' jaw dropped and Rose groaned. This was turning into a disaster. She was angry herself because it was Julien who had started everything. Yes, Scorpius and Albus did get carried away but still.

"Hey now, he had it coming to him. Just because he's from another school doesn't meant that he can come here and start trouble," Albus stated as he too started to become irritable.

" 'e did not do anything to deserve being 'urt. Just because he did not like 'er," she hissed as she pointed to Rose. "Does not mean 'e needs to be attacked. Is zis 'ow you treat your guests?!"

Rose felt her cheeks flush as they were clearly drawing attention. Damien and Alek looked at her with interest, which only deepened her flush. Lily glared at her brother, having figured out just what happened. She had not seen Rose or her brother since the night before so she had no idea of what happened in the hall just moments before. It was not difficult for her ascertain that her brother must have been an idiot and was now embarrassing Rose.

"Albus… what did you do?" she growled at him. Albus looked to his sister and gaped before groaning.

"Oh come on not you too. Can't you see I'm busy?" he grumbled before looking back to the angry women who were advancing on him. He wished that Hugo had not left. At least then, he would have someone on his side. "Look, we need to get a few things straight. First of all, that prat is a terrible representation of your school. Second of all, he left Rose in danger which if you ask me is sabotage as she is one of Hogwarts' Champions. Third of all, why in bloody hell is he sending two girls to fight his battle for him?" With each point that he made, he ticked off a finger on his hand.

Rose could not deny his logic and a small smile appeared on her face. It was nice when Albus used his words as weapons instead of his fists. His fists are what got him into trouble in the first place. Antoinette was taken aback by his words, sputtering as she attempted to come up with better reasoning. Marie finally stepped forward, looking rather frightening in her tiny, angry demeanor.

"Zat is not true! Such despicable zings you say! Julien is a kind, zoughtful man. 'e would never put someone in 'arm. She tells lies so zat no one will like Beaubatons. We will win zis tournament no matter what!" she cried, her voice a higher pitch than Antoinette's.

Embarrassment burned brightly in Rose's cheeks as she listened to the argument. She wanted nothing more than to shrink from existence. This was the last thing she wanted. Yes, there was going to be trash talk amongst the schools but a full out brawl was unacceptable. Her anger was starting to snap as well at the outlandish things that were being said.

"I do not tell lies," she growled as she glared at the two. She had been quiet this whole time but enough was enough. "Julien is not the kind of man that you are claiming that he is. Now enough of this nonsense." If looks could kill, the two Beauxbatons Champions would have murdered Rose and Albus by now.

"You will not win zis tournament. You and your partner do not work well with each ozzer. We will win easily because of zis," Antoinette said proudly with a smirk.

"There is one flaw vith your reasoning. Ve are still competing and ve are taking the lead," Alek stated as he looked over at the girls. Marie and Antoinette were both startled by his voice, having not paid attention to the fact that he was sitting at the table as well.

"Ve did much better than Hogwarts and Beauxbatons," Damien bragged, having finished his food in its entirety.

Feeling miserable at constantly being reminded at how terrible her and Scorpius did, Rose wanted nothing more than for this moment to end. Lily was being quiet but she did not blame the girl. If she could get out of this she would but apparently it was impossible. The only thing that would make it worse would be…

"What in the bloody hell is going on here?" Scorpius demanded, approaching the table that had slowly begun gathering a crowd. It did not surprise him in the least bit that Potter was somehow involved but he was curious as to what Rose was doing.

"You!" Marie screeched as she saw Scorpius appear. Once more she began speaking to Antoinette very animatedly in French. A light of understanding came into the blonde's eyes as she now narrowed her gaze on Scorpius.

"Zis man is also to blame! 'e sabotaged Julien in zat little town and helped spread zee lies that she is making!" she cried, pointing to Rose. "and e' also attacked Julien!"

Having no idea what in the hell was going on, Scorpius turned his gaze to Potter. The kiss still heavy on his mind, he was unable to look at Rose. He was torn between what he wanted and who he needed to be. Looking at her would shatter his resolve, even in this moment.

"Apparently Julien went crying to the girls for protection. Hence where we are now," he summed up.

"Oh bloody hell," Scorpius grumbled before crossing his arms irritably and looking once more to the women. "Tell Julien to grow a pair of fucking balls and deal with his own problems like a big boy." Antoinette's eyes widened in horror, her eyebrows disappearing beneath her bangs.

"Such language is disgusting!" she yelled, only causing Scorpius to roll his eyes. By merlin's beard they were annoying.

"Get over it. What the hell is the big deal anyway? Are you sleeping with the prat?" he sneered. The red that appeared on Antoinette's face said it all. Even Marie had gone quiet. Scorpius was only mildly surprised as he shook his head.

"You must not be very good then if he went to the first pretty girl he saw here," Scorpius continued before turning his back on them, no longer finding them worth his time. His eyes passed over the two Durmstrang men as he was even more confused than before. Why were all of the Champions sitting at the table? His eyes then fell on the Potter girl, who looked awestruck at the scenario, before finally falling on Rose before he could stop himself. He felt his breath hitch for just a second. All he could think of now was the delectable kiss they shared and how he wanted more.

Rose wasn't really sure how to take in the new turn of events. It had hurt that Scorpius was visibly avoiding her but then his words were ringing her head. He was defending her and even calling her… pretty? Had that been a compliment? The more she thought on it the more she wasn't sure. However, all thought disappeared from her mind when his gaze finally met hers. Her heart skipped a bit and she wished that they were alone.

Albus was surprised by how thankful he was that Malfoy had shown up. The Slytherin had no problem being rude to anyone to get them to leave. Rose would have chewed his arse out if he behaved in the same manner. Which had him silently cursing as he realized that she was not angry at Malfoy, probably because of whatever romance they had going on. The injustice of it all was suffocating.

Unable to watch the two, he turned his attention back to the French girls and flashed him a wide grin before making shooing motions with his hands, indicating for them to leave. They began rambling angrily in French but did indeed take their leave. A few of the students who had been looking on turned away disappointed. They had been hoping for a cat fight when Rose had begun to lose her temper.

"Vell…. that vas interesting," Alek said mildly as he watched Scorpius and Rose. Their dynamic had changed somehow since the first task. If things proceeded as they were, the might be a challenge in the upcoming tasks. Looking over at Damien, he noticed that he was observing the same thing.

"I… I don't even know what to say… I'm so sorry for my brother. I have nothing to say about Malfoy, however. I can't speak for him," Lily said gently to Alek, looking absolutely mortified. All she wanted to do was beat her brother senseless. Alek waved his hand dismissively.

"Do not be sorry. I found this to be…. educational," he said with a reassuring smile. Lily visibly calmed down, but shot another glare at her brother. She gave him a look that said he was going to be in massive trouble later. Albus just rolled his eyes and grumbled unhappily. How was this his fault?

"Alek, I think ve should vork on our clue, hm?" Damien said as he stood up. He bowed his head to the group before taking a step back, waiting for his partner.

"Yes, that vould be vise," he agreed as he took Lily's hand into his own and laid a kiss on her knuckles before winking and leaving with Damien. Albus scowled at the display. Lily was still his baby sister that he needed to protect, even if she didn't want it.

"No more damn kisses," he grumbled unhappily. Rose's cheeks turned pink as her eyes finally tore away from Scorpius'. They had been staring at each other awkwardly in silence. Before she looked away, she noticed that there was a light dusting of pink to his cheeks as well.

"Shut up, Albus. What the hell is your problem? Why do you always have to cause trouble," Lily growled, her annoyance reaching an alarming level. Yelling out irritably, Albus slammed his hands on the table before hoisting himself up.

"I've had enough of this. I'm gonna go find Hugo. You're being a brat," he barked as he stormed out of the hall. His sister was acting different and if it was because of Alek, he was not fond of it in the least bit.

Sitting awkwardly across from Lily, Rose was trying to come up with some plausible excuse to leave the table. Things had gone south rather quickly and it appeared that everyone's mood was off. It was very rare for her to see Lily so angry but she really didn't have much of a tolerance when it came to her brother.

"Did you need something, Malfoy?" Lily snapped. She didn't know the whole story but from what she gathered she knew that he had something to do with it. Being smart, Scorpius held up his hands defensively and took a step back.

"Guess not," he said before giving Rose a brief glance and then taking his leave to his table on the other side of the hall.

A soft sigh escaped Rose as she watched him leave. She wanted to talk to him about the kiss but it seemed to be the last thing he wanted to do. While she knew that it was not going to be easy dealing with him, it didn't make her any more thrilled to endure it.

"So… um… before all of that. Were things going well with Alek?" Rose inquired, hoping that changing the subject to her current item of fancy would cool the younger woman down. Thankfully, it worked as her whole demeanor changed. A gentle smile graced her features as she nodded.

"Yeah, actually. He's incredibly smart but he's not stuck up about it and believe it or not, he has a great sense of humor. I really like him," she replied.

"Just… be careful. I'm not gonna lecture you or anything like that but just keep your eyes open," she urged, not wishing for her cousin to be blinded by her feelings.

"I know, I know," she said tiredly as though she had heard it all before. "So what is going on with you and Malfoy. Things seem… different"

"To be perfectly honest with you, I have no idea," she admitted, not wishing to get into the details of their kiss. She and Lily were really close and she would tell the girl about it, but right now just didn't seem right. Lily looked as though she wanted to pry a bit further but remained silent. A lot had happened in a short amount of time.

For the duration of lunch, the two chatted about small, innocuous things as they tried to lighten the mood. As soon as lunch was finished, Rose left the hall with the intent of heading to the library to conduct research pertaining to the second task. She supposed that she should enlist Scorpius' help but knowing him, he was going to continue to ignore her for a while. Sighing and wishing things were different, she conceded to defeat for now.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review! Thanks for those of you who review each chapter consistently. It means the world to me.**

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 15*~**

"Scorpius…."

"Shh…. Be quiet or someone is going to hear us. Not that I mind but…"

"Ah…. Mh… then stop doing that," Rose moaned as she gazed up into a pair of grey eyes.

"What? This?" Scorpius inquired as he dipped his head down so that he could continue to pepper kisses along her neck and collarbone. Squirming underneath him, Rose gasped sharply as one of his kisses turned into a nibble, causing goosebumps to erupt along her skin.

"Yes, that!" she hissed half-heartedly. She claimed that she wanted him to stop but honestly, it felt far too amazing. Laying across her on her bed in the room they shared, his weight was deliciously pleasant and arousing.

"Mh… no, don't think I will," he responded huskily as returned to her plump lips that were already become somewhat swollen from his assaults. Another moan escaped her as his tongue delved inside her mouth and fought dominance with her own. She could definitely get used to this.

Returning his kiss passionately, she reached up to tangle her fingers in his platinum locks. His hair was wild and far from its normal immaculate state. She preferred it this way. He was much less reserved when he was like this. When they were alone together, she saw the man he wanted to be instead of the man he had to be. This was the man who wanted to be with her despite the past of their families.

"Rose…" he whispered against her lips as he broke from the kiss, panting lightly. His breath was warm against her skin and she wanted more of him. Already she felt like she was burning from the inside out and he was the only thing that could cool her. Hearing her name from his lips laced with desire was almost too much for her to bear.

Her hands danced across his bare chest, marveling in the well-cut lines of his body. He wasn't overly muscular but he was built very well, much like an athlete. Annoyingly so, he was still wearing his pants while she had been nearly completely undressed. All that remained on her body was her underwear as the rest of her was bare to him in his explorations.

Softly, another moan tumbled from her lips as his kisses continued their descent, settling along the valley between her breasts. His lips were positively sinful and his hands were a close second. She sucked in air sharply as she felt his fingers gliding along her breasts, finding her nipples to be particularly interesting. Writhing a bit, she was forced to bite her lower lip to keep from moaning loudly.

"Like that, huh?" he teased with his signature smirk on his face. Rose was about to counter but was lost for words when his fingers were replaced with his tongue. Ooh yeah, she liked that alright. Unable to hold back, a louder moan escaped her this time. She could her him chuckling, the sound rumbling in his chest and against her stomach. A light flush dusted her cheeks.

"Are you mocking me?" she complained, feeling embarrassed. Yeah she had very little experience with men but that didn't mean he had to make fun of her just because he had an alarming wealth of knowledge.

"Not at all. It pleases me that I am able to make you feel like this," he admitted as he pulled back to gaze down at her affectionately. Rose's heart swelled with adoration for him and she found that she couldn't be upset.

Content with her reaction, Scorpius returned to his endeavors, delighting in the mewling noises of pleasure and moans he was eliciting from her. His lips trailed lower and lower down her body, until he was met with the waistband of her panties. Removing them hastily, his exploration continued until he found what he sought.

Rose cried out at the pleasure that assaulted her body at his motions. No longer was she able to be quiet as both of her hands flew to his head and gripped his hair gently. Merlin the man knew what he was doing and damn was he doing it well.

"Rose!"

"Mh…"

"Rose! Dammit, Rose, shut the hell up!" growled a sleepy, irritable voice.

"Wha…?" Rose mumbled as the voice grew a bit louder. Next thing she knew, her face was met with a pillow, promptly waking her up. "What the hell?!" she grumbled irritably.

For a moment Rose was completely disoriented. What was going on? Why was Scorpius yelling at her and throwing pillows? Frowning, she gazed down at herself and realized that she was in bed, dressed in her pajamas, and alone.

"All that damned moaning keeps waking me up," he responded from the other side of the room.

The room was pitch dark and Rose was unable to make out his figure at all. Clearly it was the middle of the night and she had been dreaming. A vicious red flush exploded across her face as she recalled what she had been dreaming about and with whom. She was thankful for the dark because he wouldn't be able to see her either.

"S-Sorry!" she apologized embarrassedly as she rolled to face the wall, her back to him. If lightening had struck her right now that would have been great because she just wanted to shrink and disappear currently. If not, she was sure the embarrassment would kill her for sure. She had been dreaming rather intimately about Scorpius, with him apparently on the other side of the room, and she was being loud. Not to mention she was feeling rather uncomfortable and sexually unsatisfied.

Since the altercation in the Great Hall, Scorpius had been avoiding her like the plague. Every time she tried to approach him, he would dart off or come up with some excuse to get away. She had a feeling it had something to do with the kiss they shared but it had been getting out of hand. For the last two weeks she had been doing intensive research on their clue from the first task and she wanted to share the information. She had given up getting him to explain himself in regards to the kiss. To be honest, though, she was starting to miss him.

While they both still shared the Champion room, she never saw him. When he did decide to come to bed, it was normally after she went to sleep. Sometimes he would be gone before she got up or he would leave shortly after she did. It was frustrating and at the rate they were going, she was going to have to corner him and beat some sense into him. This was the first time they had spoken and of course it was because he wanted to yell at her. Some things never changed.

Scorpius could barely breathe he was so hard right now. It had been so damned difficult sleeping in the same room as Rose and knowing that he couldn't be with her. Since the moment his lips touched hers, he thought of nothing else. All he wanted to do was to be around her, inhale her spicy floral scent and taste her lips until he was drunk off of them. He knew that if he was near her, he would give into those desires more readily now that he had a taste of temptation. That was why he had to avoid her. He needed his head to clear so that he could think straight again.

As hard as it was to be around her, he still needed to see her. The best compromise that he could make with himself was to sleep in the same room. So far it had been working out decently well. He would get to see her peaceful, sleeping face before he crawled into bed and typically he was gone before she could wake up and ask questions. Tonight, however, was absolute hell on his body.

He had barely been asleep when he heard her moaning. Whatever she was dreaming about, clearly it was pleasing her and it made him jealous as hell as he wondered just what it was she was dreaming of. She had to be dreaming of someone. Those were erotic moans and they were causing havoc on his body. All he could think about was him making her create those noises. How she would feel underneath him. How she would taste. 

It took every ounce of his will power to keep from climbing into bed with her and demonstrating his skill. To wake her up with the most incredible pleasure she had known in her life. Oh yes, he was more than a little confident in his skill. He had the experience and reviews to prove so. When his body could take no more, was when he had to get her to stop. Perhaps he should have worked off his pent up frustrations before he woke her up because now he was uncomfortable as hell and she was awake.

"Scorpius…?" Rose gently called out after she had given herself a moment to calm down.

"What?" he responded grouchily. His body was aching and he wanted to think of anything else to ease the burn.

"Can we talk, please?" she asked quietly. He heard shifting on the other side of the room and he knew that Rose must be turning to face his direction.

"Rose, it's four in the morning, can't it wait?" he grumbled.

"No, it can't. You keep avoiding me," Rose said sadly, causing Scorpius' breath to hitch. He didn't want to be the reason she was upset. Before he had the chance to say anything, he felt his bed depress and the next thing he knew Rose was sitting near him. With his eyes adjusting to the dark, he could very faintly make out her outline. Her hair was a mess from sleep and she was wearing those frustrating pajamas of hers that covered up practically every inch of her skin.

"I'm not avoiding you…" He said weakly, knowing just how stupid he sounded. Of course he was avoiding her. He wasn't even sticking around to insult her.

"You kissed me nearly two weeks ago. I get that you don't want to talk about it, but we are still partners and we have to work on this tournament together. I'm a big girl, if you don't want to acknowledge it, fine, but I don't think it was a bad thing for the record," she said gently, wanting to get out just how she felt before he either continued to ignore her or denied everything.

For a good moment, Scorpius said nothing. Expelling a soft sigh, Rose was resigning herself when he did finally speak.

"I don't think it was bad either… but Rose, you know that we can't be anything. Things just won't work that way. You know that," he said gently, finding his voice strained as he spoke. He didn't like his reasoning at all. Just what was he trying to prove? So what if his father or grandfather disapproved? He knew his mother would be understanding. Rose didn't seem to care what her family thought. She was always fighting with Potter in regards to himself. Just what was it he was trying to prove?

"I know…" Rose said gently, fighting back her tears.

She knew that they weren't going to be anything but she also didn't realize that she had been holding onto hope until she heard his confirmation. He was being stupid and she wanted to strangle him over it but she knew that wouldn't work either. For some reason, being a Malfoy meant so much to him that he was willing to sacrifice potential happiness and for what exactly?

Scorpius felt like a complete and total arse. There was no way that she was okay. Even if he couldn't see her clearly he could feel the change in the air. She was upset and reasonably so. Hell, he was upset. He shouldn't have kissed her. It was a damned mistake, but it was a delicious mistake. Her taste would be forever ingrained in his mind.

"Can you stop ignoring me now?" Rose whispered. "After tonight, can we go back to how things were?" It pained her to ask this of him, but if the only way they were going to be able to associate with one another was by acting like nothing happened, then so be it. This tournament was important and their lack of teamwork had already hurt them once. She couldn't let that happen again despite her personal feelings.

"Yes, after tonight," he responded gently. His body having calmed down, he reached out and grabbed Rose gently around the waist and pulled her down to the bed with him. A soft nose of surprise emitted from her but she did not fight him. Snaking an arm around her more securely, he pressed her back to his chest and held her close. Nuzzling the back of her neck, he inhaled her scent deeply and let it wash over him, permeating his senses.

Swallowing hard, Rose was not sure what to expect but this was definitely not the first item that came to mind. However, she was not disappointed. His embrace was warm and secure and she found that there was nowhere else that she would rather be right now. Even if everything was going to change in the morning, at least she had this moment with him right now. Settling down, she rested one arm over his and the other underneath the pillow they were now sharing to link with his other hand.

Neither one of them said a word, afraid to shatter the moment. Even so, words were not needed. The silence was comfortable and soothing. Within moments, Rose had fallen back asleep, hypnotized by Scorpius' slow breathing and the gentle rise and fall of his chest against her back. Sleep did not come as easily for the Slytherin. All he wanted to do was stay awake and just feel her in his arms for as long as possible. Why was he denying the both of them this?

Torn between answering his hundreds of questions plaguing his mind and staying awake with Rose and sleeping he found himself rather restless. It was another half hour before he allowed sleep to wash over him, erasing from his mind his agony and replacing it with warm, reassuring slumber.

When Rose awoke the next morning, the bed was vacant and she was alone. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she tried to recall what had happened the night before. She was beginning to think that it was all a dream until she realized that she was not in her own bed. Scorpius' scent was all over the bed and pillow where she now lay. Bringing the pillow closer to her face, she inhaled deeply and snuggled deeper beneath the covers. The last thing she wanted to do was get out of bed.

For a while, all she did was lay in bed, listening to the quiet ticking of a nearby clock. She didn't even know what time it was but she didn't care. Right now she was unbelievably comfortable and relaxed. If she got up, then she would have to admit the night was over and resume her life. No, she wasn't quite ready for that yet.

"You gonna lay in bed all day, lazy bones?" Scorpius called out as he stepped into the room, his hair slick from his shower and a towel wrapped low on his hips. Rose could not help but stare at the sight before her. This was why she was having dreams about him the way that she was.

"Maybe I will," she declared as she wrapped the blankets more securely around her. This brought a small smile to Scorpius's face as he shook his head. He enjoyed the sight of her in his bed but he would have enjoyed it much more if he knew that she was naked beneath the covers.

"Fine, but move to your own bed," he said as he grabbed his clothing and dropped his towel to the ground, not caring that she was watching. A squeak sounded from Rose's direction and she buried her head beneath the blankets, causing him to chuckle in amusement.

"Have you no decency!" Rose cried, her face a vibrant shade of red. Though, she would be lying if she said that she didn't want to sneak a peek.

"Nah, not really," Scorpius said lightly as he finished dressing. He was torn between finding her reaction to him adorable and disappointing. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he pulled the covers down, but she promptly squeezed her eyes tightly shut. Scorpius rolled his eyes despite her not being able to see it.

"I'm dressed, I promise," he mumbled, succeeding in getting her to open her eyes and look at him. A pout graced her features.

"You're cruel."

"And you're a prude. Except for when you're dreaming. Just who were you thinking of? Was it me?" he asked with a grin, watching as her face turned redder.

"N-No! Absolutely not!" she yelled defensively as she scrambled off the bed, needing to get away from him. Standing several feet away from him, she placed her hands on her hips disapprovingly. "Stop messing around. We have a lot of work to do because of you avoiding me."

"That may be so, but we're not doing it today," Scorpius said simply as he leaned back on his bed and observed her. Her hair was wild and untamed which was very attractive if it were not for those damned pajamas. Oh how he ached to tear them from her body and explore her bare skin from head to toe.

"And why is that?" she asked as she frowned at him. Scorpius arched a brow as he watched her. Did she really forget?

"It's Christmas Eve which means that tomorrow is Christmas and the Yule Ball, or did you forget about this? I don't know about you but that means relaxing and preparing for that, not worrying about the next task which isn't for another two months," he explained, watching as her eyes grew wide in realization.

"Where has the time gone?!" she exclaimed as she looked around frantically for a calendar to confirm his claims. Had so much time passed already? She knew that she had spent most of it in the library and vaguely she recalled the headmaster mentioning the Yule Ball but surely there was still time left? Scrambling around the room, she grabbed her clothing for the day and disappeared into the bathroom to change.

Scorpius shook his head disbelievingly as he watched her rush around. It was unusual to see her so air-headed. What had been on her mind this whole time? Surely it wasn't just the second task. Did he affect her that much? Honestly, he hoped he did because merlin knew that she affected him.

Rose emerged from the bathroom, dressed in a red sweater and black pants with her fiery hair tied back hastily. It was rather comical to see her so frantic but Scorpius knew that if he laughed, she would direct her frantic energy into anger directed at him. She was mumbling something under her breath and checking her school trunk that had been brought into the room at the start of the tournament. Finally breathing a sigh of relief, she pulled a flat clothing box out that looked like it might contain robes or something.

"At least I didn't forget this…" she mumbled. It was her dress robes that the school list had required. While she had no idea what it could possibly have been needed for, it made sense now. Students from the fourth year and up were able to attend the Yule Ball. "So… what did the headmaster say in regards to partners?" she asked as she turned her attention back to Scorpius.

"Well, the Champions are opening up the ball with the first dance. We don't have to find partners because there are three female champions and three males. I think we're going to be paired up randomly or something," he said as he feigned disinterest.

Secretly, he hoped that he would be able to dance with Rose. Not to mention, he really did not like the Beauxbatons' women, especially after the event in the Great Hall. The thought of Rose dancing with one of the Durmstrang men had him feeling particularly annoyed.

"Oh… that's good I suppose," she said as she breathed a sigh of relief.

She had no idea who she would have asked if that were not the case. Scorpius obviously would have been her first choice but he had already made it perfectly clear that he did not want to be public with her. The tournament was the only exception. Of course, there was still the chance that she would be able to open the dance with him. While it would look like it was forced, she knew that he would enjoy it. Otherwise, she doubted he was going to dance with her at all because that would indicate he was doing it of his own free will and a Malfoy could not be seen dancing with a Weasley.

"Obviously we are going to be here for Christmas as well as most of the school. What are your plans?" he asked. Frowning, Rose contemplated this as she sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Well, normally I go home for the holidays and we spend it at my grandmother's house. Our family is huge so our get togethers for the holidays are kinda crazy but I wouldn't miss them for the world. This will be the first time I'm spending it away from them," she said, suddenly feeling a bit homesick. "I mean, I'll get to spend it with my brother and cousins and I'm sure my grandmother is going to send her homemade meals and treats but it's not quite the same. So I think my plans are to spend time with my family and exchange gifts until we have to get ready for the Yule Ball."

Scorpius normally went home for the holidays as well. His family was not nearly as large as hers but they would sit together and have dinner and exchange gifts. Here, however, he didn't have any family and the friends he hung out with only did so because of his name. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he was more alone than he thought.

"Sounds like you have a good plan," he said softly, trying to keep the jealousy out of his voice. Moving from her side of the room, Rose sat down next to him. She knew that he didn't have any family here and his so called friends pretty much sucked terribly. Smiling brightly, she took his hand into hers and squeezed it.

"Come hang out with us. We normally hang out in the Gryffindor common room after breakfast," she offered, earning a surprised look from Scorpius.

"I have a feeling your brother and Potter wouldn't be too thrilled about that," he said, earning a vicious shake of her head.

"Don't care. They will get over it and you will behave. I don't want you to be alone on Christmas," she said sternly, not allowing for him to argue with her. Laughing softly, he shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh what the hell, fine," he agreed.

"Good. Now that I have completely lost track of time, I need to get caught up on a few things before tomorrow," she said dismissively as she stood up, in much lighter spirits, and left the room.

Scorpius was alone with his thoughts once more. Just what was this woman doing to him? He couldn't get rid of the small smile that was on his face. She had invited him to her small family affair as though she saw him as part of her family. A warm, happy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach at the thought and he could not help but also be in a brighter mood.

"It's not fair," Lily complained as pushed her food around her plate.

It was lunch time and all anyone could talk about was the Yule Ball the next day. Rose was heartily eating her meal and gazing around at the glorious decorations the hall had been adorned with. Sure enough, everything was sparkling with twinkling lights and glitter. Magnificently brilliant Christmas trees lined the hall and everything was so cheerful and bright. How had she missed out on all of this? Had she really been that self-absorbed?

"Hm? What's not fair?" she asked the younger girl as she directed her attention back to her.

"The fact that you Champions can't pick your dance partners. I think that is absolutely awful. Why do you have to open the dance with each other?" she continued. Rose wasn't sure why this bothered her until she realized that she must have been referring to Alek.

"Well, that may be true but once the opening dance is finished we can dance with whoever. Don't worry, I am sure Alek will come seek you out," she said comfortingly as she continued eating. 

The girl was absolutely smitten with the man. So far she didn't find a reason not to like him. Sure he was a bit cocky but that was to be expected. As far as she knew, he treated Lily well. Even Albus didn't have a complaint. Hugo was still rather suspicious but he gave up saying anything to anyone.

"Yeah… I know… but still," she mumbled, causing Rose to laugh a bit.

"So… are you two official yet?" Rose inquired, wondering if that was something else that she had missed on. Damn, Scorpius messing with her head really had some serious consequences in regards to her life. She had let so much time pass unknowingly.

"No… not yet. It's not from lack of trying I assure you. I keep asking him but he keeps saying that he has something he needs to do first and won't tell me what that is," she replied with a pout as she leaned her chin on her hand. "maybe he's trying to ask another girl out and if she says no then he'll date me."

"Oh no, I'm sure it's not anything like that," she said gently, assuring the girl. Alek seemed to like her a great deal and she didn't see him around any other girls. That was not to say that there weren't girls chasing him but he didn't seem interested.

"Then I have no idea," she conceded as she stared off in the distance. Rose hated seeing the girl feeling so down. She deserved to be happy especially when Albus and Hugo were always driving her crazy.

"So, Scorpius kissed me," she said nonchalantly as she looked down at her plate, her food suddenly incredibly intriguing. Lily dropped her hand so suddenly and forcefully that it caused her plate to clatter and her goblet to spill over. Luckily, Rose was able to cast a spell to keep it from ruining either one of their clothing.

"Excuse me!? When was this?!" she yelled, causing a few students to turn their heads in curiosity. Rose shushed her immediately, a light pink staining her cheeks.

"Quite down! I don't want the whole school knowing," she hissed as Lily clamped her hand over her mouth briefly before speaking.

"Malfoy kissed you? Are you serious? When did this happen?" she fired, wanting to know everything. Well, at least Rose had been successful in changing her mood. Lily was no longer upset about Alek.

"Um… like two weeks ago. Yes, I am serious and yes, he kissed me. You can ask Albus, he apparently saw it all," she explained. The shocked expression on Lily's face slowly melted into irritation and then hurt.

"Why didn't you tell me? You tell me everything," she said sadly, another pout appearing on her face. Rose felt really bad that she was upset yet again. So much for that plan.

"I was going to, honestly. It was before that… fiasco in the Great Hall with the Beauxbaton girls. Then you were upset with Albus… and then I apparently got distracted for two weeks because of it," she explained apologetically. Once more Lily's expression changed but this time it was that of understanding.

"Ah… that makes sense now. You have been doing nothing but locking yourself up in the library. I figured that it had something to do with the tournament but I never saw Malfoy with you. I get it now," she said with a nod.

Rose gave her a rather sheepish look as she nodded agreeably. As much as she had been in the library, she didn't feel like she knew too much more than what she had started with. Every time she would stare down at a book to start reading, her mind would instantly become distracted with thoughts of Scorpius and the kiss they had shared.

"Yeah… that's pretty much it…"

"So… are you two a thing now?" Lily inquired to which Rose shook her head immediately, a sad look on her face.

"No and we never will be. You know how he is about his reputation and his family name. That will never happen," she explained to which Lily glared.

"That's bullshit!" she growled. Rose's mouth fell open at the language. Lily was so quiet and even-tempered. Even when she was mad at her brother's she never resorted to foul language.

"It's obvious that he has feelings for you. Albus told me about him hugging you right after the first task. You two were holding hands at the end of that task too. He has saved you countless times including when Julien was being an arse and then he went and helped him up too. It's so obvious I'm sure everyone just assumes you guys are a thing. I don't know what he's thinking. He's an idiot, you know that?" she continued. Rose laughed gently.

"Yes, I know that he is an idiot but that's just how things are right now," she explained. Lily shook her head, finding this answer unacceptable.

"Don't you dare wait for him. If he keeps this up, you move on to someone better. You deserve more than he's willing to offer," she chastised to which Rose said nothing. She knew that what Lily was saying was true, but her heart didn't want to listen. This was why she prided herself on being more logical and book smart. The heart wasn't known for being the most rational organ in the body.

"I know…. I know…." she assured her, leaving the conversation at that.

Early Christmas morning, Rose awoke early as she did every year but this time she wasn't in her dorm but in the room that she and Scorpius shared. Still dressed in her pajamas, she climbed out of bed and approached Scorpius' sleeping form. Gently she nudged him, trying to urge him awake.

"Scorpius, hey, wake up," she whispered loudly, not wishing to startle him awake. He mumbled incoherently and rolled over so that he would be facing her, but his eyes were still shut.

"What….?" he mumbled groggily.

"Come on, it's Christmas. You're coming with me," she reminded him. He said nothing but instead started to lightly snore, indicating that he had fallen back asleep. With a small smile on her face, Rose couldn't help but find him to be adorable and charming in sleep. Once more she began nudging him.

"Why so early?" he groaned as she would not stop shaking him. Slowly he was waking up as he brain tried to comprehend what she was trying to get him to do. Now if she would just stop shaking him. Mumbling incoherently, he reached out and pulled her into the bed with him. There, now she wasn't shaking him anymore. Settling in again, he got comfortable.

"Scorpius, come on," she whined as she pushed against his chest. Unable to fall back asleep, he sighed heavily as he looked down at her. Since when did it become so natural for him to pull her into bed with him? It felt perfect and right.

"What are we doing?" he asked, finally awake. Rose reached up and tapped his nose disapprovingly.

"It's Christmas. You're coming with me to hang out with my family and exchange gifts," she explained. He frowned as thought occurred to him.

"I didn't get anyone anything and you know that no one got me anything," he said. As if him being there wasn't going to be awkward enough. Well, he wasn't being entirely truthful. He did get Rose something but he wasn't going to give it to her in front of everyone. A light blush trailed across Rose's cheeks.

"Well…. I got you something," she admitted softly, earning a look of surprise from Scorpius. His heart was warmed immediately by her gesture.

"Alright, alright. Let's get going then," he said as he begrudgingly let her go. "By the way, Merry Christmas," he said gently as he watched her get up. She smiled brilliantly at him and he could have sworn that his heart did a summersault.

"Merry Christmas, Scorpius," she responded before offering her hand to his, easing him out of bed. Thankfully he had gone to sleep in pajama pants instead of his boxers. The temptation might have been too much for her.

"I should change," he said as he looked down at himself. His hair was sticking out due to sleep and he was dressed only in pajama pants. Rose shook her head and grabbed one of his sweaters that was lying around and threw it at him.

"Part of the fun is being lazy and relaxed. If I can manage to not look perfect, then so can you," she chided as she waited for him to pull the article of clothing on.

"You think I look perfect?" he inquired with an arched brow, causing her to blush.

"Oh shush. You know you do. You prance around acting like you're God's gift to women," she teased, earning a wide smile from him.

"Aw, thanks, love," he teased in response before leaning in to whisper in her ear. "For the record, I think you're perfect." Rose's cheeks darkened as she tried to swat him away. Goodness she wasn't sure how much of this her heart could handle.

"Come on, let's go," she said as she threw on her own sweater and slipped into the hall with Scorpius.

A few moments later and they were both sneaking into the Gryffindor common room. Part of why they were celebrating so early was so that no one would disturb them. Everyone would still be asleep in their beds. Albus was sitting in one of the armchairs, his head tilted back and his eyes closed. He had been trying to stay awake but he really wasn't a morning person. Lily was sitting on the floor, leaning back against his chair but she was wide awake and more than ready to get started. Hugo was sprawled out on the floor on his back, staring up at the ceiling and also trying to stay awake. There was a pile of gifts near him as everyone waited for Rose.

"Merry Christmas," Rose called out gently as she stepped into view and saw her family. 

The fire was lit in the fireplace nearby and was casting a soft orange glow upon everyone. The windows were still dark, indicating that the morning sun had not risen yet. Albus snorted as he was woken up by her arrival. Blinking a few times, he smiled tiredly as he tried to wake up further.

"Merry Christmas, Rose," he said before yawning greatly. His sister and Hugo echoed his greeting as everyone began situating themselves. Hugo was the first to notice Scorpius as he finally stepped out of the shadows.

"What's he doing here?" he asked suspiciously.

While he would never admit it out loud, Scorpius found the scene before him to be rather endearing. He belonged to a small family that wasn't nearly as close as Rose and her family were. They never had early morning get togethers like this. His family lacked the warmth that the Weasley and Potter family clearly possessed for one another. While he wasn't actually a part of her family, he still felt honored to be there. Hell, he might even be on his best behavior.

"I invited him," Rose said sharply, daring her brother to question her. He opened his mouth to, but Albus cut him off.

"Okay, so sit your arses down so that we can get this thing going. I know there is some of Grandma's food sitting in there just begging to be devoured," he said hungrily. 

Hugo continued to cast Scorpius a suspicious look but was promptly smacked in the chest by Lily, who then gave Scorpius a rather comforting and sweet smile. Scorpius wasn't sure how to handle her newfound reaction to him. Something had changed and he wasn't sure what it was but he had a feeling that Rose had something to do with it.

Finally, Rose and Scorpius both sat down on the floor with the rest of them. Lily moved so that she was sitting to the right of Scorpius and Rose was sitting to his left. Albus sat in front of him with Hugo to his right and his sister to his left. The pile of gifts was in the center of their circle. Scorpius still felt rather awkward but was thankful that he had the two women next to him instead of the two guys. Rose's brother still looked like he wanted to mangle him but surprisingly Potter wasn't even paying him attention. All he wanted to do was tear into the presents.

Offering Scorpius, a reassuring smile, Rose began passing out the gifts to everyone. Surprisingly, she found that there were actually several there with Scorpius' name on it. It appeared that her grandmother had sent a couple of things for him which she had a feeling had something to do with her mother.

There was nothing that could prepare Scorpius for the shocked feeling that shook him at being handed several gifts. There was no way the lot before him had thought to get him something and his gifts from his own family would not come to the Gryffindor common room. He looked to Rose for an explanation, his eyes wide and confused. Apparently, everyone else mirrored his expression.

"It's from our Grandma Molly. My mother must have said something to her. She makes us homemade gifts and food every year. Guess you're one of us now," she said brightly, shooting her brother a look that said he had better deal with it. Hugo held up his hands defensively. If his mother liked Scorpius, he supposed he should probably, maybe consider being civil to him. After all, it was up to the Slytherin to keep his sister safe.

Scorpius stared down at the brightly wrapped presents in his lap. He wasn't sure how to feel, how to act, or what to say. Never had he felt so included. It was a considerably pleasant feeling and once the surprise wore off, he couldn't help but smile faintly. He would have to write the woman and thank her. It was the proper thing to do.

Once all of the gifts were passed out, everyone began tearing into the colored paper. Albus knew which ones contained the sweets and immediately dug into them, moaning happily at the delectable confections. Each one of them received a signature sweater with the first letter of their name initialed on the front. Scorpius' was a Slytherin green with a silver "S" emblazoned on it. The back of the sweater bore a large silver serpent. It was thoughtful considering that the woman knew nothing of him personally. When no one was around, and it was just him and Rose, he was going to wear it. He too also received sweets and homemade food.

Rose couldn't help but smile at her family which included Scorpius whether he liked it or not. She could see the happiness in his grey eyes at being included. It saddened her that he didn't really have family gatherings like this when he so clearly desired them. While he hadn't said anything, his gestures spoke volumes to her. He was happy and that made her happy.

Observing him from the corner of her eyes, she could see him gently running his fingers along the knitted sweater, truly appreciating the gift that was given to him probably more than anyone. It was something they had all taken for granted as they had received one every year since they were born. While she was sure that Scorpius' family loved him, she had a feeling that they had a hard time showing it like her family did. She wondered if he ever received anything homemade.

"Hey, that's mine! You have your own!" Lily growled as she smacked at her brother's hand. Albus had inhaled his sweets and was attempting to steal some of his sister's. While she was distracted, Hugo stole a few pieces, also having finished off his own.

"No, I don't. See? It's gone," he whined as he tipped over the empty tin that had once held delicious sweets. He gazed down at it longingly before shifting his gaze hopefully over to Rose and then finally Scorpius. Stiffening his spine, Scorpius glared at him.

"Come near me and you're dead," he threatened. The sweets were incredible and he knew that it was because they were homemade. His mother wasn't much of a cook and he didn't think his father had ever made anything in his entire life. They had always had a house elf but from what he had been told, their treatment now was much different from when his father grew up.

"That's not fair…" Albus whined.

"Shouldn't hoover your damned food then," Scorpius murmured. His attention was diverted by a gentle touch to his thigh. Looking over, he saw that Rose was gazing at him happily, a light flush to her cheeks. He wasn't sure what was making her so happy but the fact that she was directing it at him made his heart stop. She was gorgeous but he was all too aware of the other eyes in the room.

"I'm glad you joined us," she said softy, but there was so much more that she wanted to say. However, she would not embarrass him in front of everyone. It took a lot for him to be sitting here, with her and her family right now. She would not push her luck.

"Me too," he admitted quietly before glaring at the peanut gallery. "What do you want, you damn vultures?" Their constant staring was becoming unnerving, like they were waiting for him to screw up or maybe let down his guard enough so they could steal his food.

"When did you two hook up?" Hugo inquired, causing the couple in question to blush and begin protesting immediately.

"Don't know why you two keep fighting it," Lily chimed in, having failed to notice that her brother and cousin had succeeded in stealing her sweets away. Not wishing to ruin the mood, Rose promptly changed the subject.

"So the Yule Ball is tonight. Lily I can come into the dorms and help you get ready after lunch," she suggested. She was thankful when the subject did indeed change.

"That would be great. Did you two boys secure a date?" Lily asked as she looked over at Hugo and Albus. A frown creased her features as she realized that they had stolen and mostly eaten her sweets.

"Of course we did," Albus said defensively as he began licking his fingers clean. "But we're not telling you who. You'll just have to find out." Hugo nodded in agreeance with his cousin.

"Bet that means neither one of you did and you're going to be scrambling around until the ball trying to find dates," Lily murmured as she shook her head disapprovingly.

"Hey, what about you? Alek is opening with one of the other Champions so who are you going with?" Hugo asked, content with the fact that she wasn't going to be initially going with Alek. There was something that seriously bothered him about the man but no one else seemed to notice it. Whenever he brought it up, they claimed that he was being paranoid because he was a foreigner.

"I don't need a date to have fun," she said as she held her head high. She hoped that after opening the dance that Alek might spend time with her for the remainder of the night. After he turned her down on making things official, she had been too afraid to bring up the idea to him. Almost immediately, her mood deflated.

"I'm sure Alek will dance with you," Rose said cheerfully, not wanting to see her cousin sad. She shot Hugo a look that urged him to be quiet to which he begrudgingly complied.

Being fifteen wasn't easy for a woman. The amount of complex emotions Rose knew that Lily had to be feeling was astounding. It wasn't like it would get much easier when she got older either. Thinking of her own complex feelings towards Scorpius, she knew that there was nothing comforting she could really say. All she wanted to do was go to the dance with Scorpius so she could understand the girl's sentiments. She just hoped the boys would remain quiet instead of blabbering about stupidly. As usual, she had no such luck.

"It wouldn't be the end of the world, though. It's just a dance," Albus said matter-of-factly. Rose glared at him and threw a well-aimed, wadded up ball of wrapping paper at his face.

"Oh shut it will you. You're just a guy and you're stupid," Rose growled.

Scorpius was more than willing to sit this conversation out. The last thing he needed were the two girls to turn on him and make his life miserable. He most certainly did not want that as he was enjoying himself rather immensely. Albus looked to him, as if silently begging him to defend his gender to which he ignored. Nope, he like his anatomy where it was.

The girls bickered with the guys for a little while before eventually wearing the conversation thin and dropping it. Grey, pinkish light slowly began to filter into the room, indicating that the sun was starting to rise. Within the hour, students were going to start waking up to enjoy their Christmas and head down to breakfast. Standing up, Rose said her goodbyes to her family, while Scorpius stood awkwardly to the side. It was moments like this that despite how much Rose tried to include him, he still wasn't a part of her family or so he thought until Lily approached him.

"Merry Christmas, Scorpius," she said warmly, using his name as she wrapped her arms around him and embraced him tightly. Feeling awkward and panicked, his arms hovered around her as he looked to Rose for help. With an urging smile, he had no choice but to sigh and quickly returned the embrace if not a bit chastely. The looks he was receiving from the males had him quickly stepping away from her and clearing his throat.

"Same to you," he said as he looked off, his cheeks a bit red. Lily laughed to herself as she rejoined her brother and cousin. She knew that Rose was going to want to spend some time with Scorpius alone before they rejoined for breakfast. If her brother and Hugo could not understand that then they truly were a lost cause.

Sneaking out once more, Rose left with Scorpius to head back to the room that they shared. She wanted to give him her gift that she got him for Christmas. If they were alone, she knew that he would not be afraid to truly express himself. Fighting the urge to take his hand and hold it while they walked, she observed the different decorations that lit up the hall as they walked. Despite neither one of them saying a word, the silence was comfortable as the mingled in their own thoughts. It wasn't until they were behind the door of their room did Scorpius say anything.

"Thank you…. really," he said gently as he removed his sweater and slid on the one that her grandmother had made. It was soft and warm. His grandparents most certainly were not the warm and fuzzy type. The idea of his grandfather condoning something like a knit sweater was so comical it was terrifying.

Rose's heart swelled with adoration as she watched Scorpius slip on the sweater without a second thought. It made her so happy that when he was alone with her, that he could be himself. This was the man that she knew was hiding behind the facade that he demonstrated to the rest of the world. He clearly trusted her or he wouldn't be doing this right now.

"You are welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," she replied as she moved over to her end table and retrieved his gift from the drawer. Returning to him, she offered him the neatly wrapped red package, her cheeks the same color. It was small enough to fit in the palm of her hand.

"This is for you," she explained. Scorpius' eyes widened a bit as he took it. He could tell that she took great care into wrapping it perfectly. She was a perfectionist and he would have expected nothing less from her. Honestly, he had half expected her to be lying earlier when she said she had a gift for him.

"Thank you," he said once more before gently and carefully opening the gift. She had taken such great care to wrap it that he felt guilty for destroying it. He was trying to ruin it as little as possible. A moment later he was successful as he slid the box out of the paper and opened it.

The box was black and was just a bit larger than a ring box. What he found inside nearly caused him to drop it all together. Lying amongst the black velvet was his family crest staring back at him. It was stunning and encrusted with onyx, diamonds, and emeralds. Lightly he ran his fingers across it with his eyes wide and his mouth agape.

Gently plucking it from its resting place, he inspected it further, noticing that it was a pin of sorts, similar to a brooch. His mouth suddenly dry, he turned it over and over as he could barely comprehend what she had done for him. Sure he had tons of things with his family's crest on it but nothing meant as much to him as this gift did. He knew how much she disapproved of his family while it held great significance to him. It felt like she was accepting him as he was even with his pain in the arse need to uphold his reputation. Not to mention the item was absolutely glorious and surely cost quite a bit, not that money was an issue for her family.

Rose rocked on her feet and nibbled her thumb a bit nervously as she watched him. He hadn't said anything and she was starting to doubt what she had done. It was his family crest; she was sure that he had so many items bearing the seal that it meant very little to him. Yes, he was proud of his family name but maybe it was a terrible idea as a gift. Her heart sank into her stomach as she began to regret her decision. Opening her mouth to defend herself, she was cut off as Scorpius finally spoke.

"Rose… thank you, truly. This… is incredible and much more than I deserve," he said softly as he wrapped an arm around her and held her tightly.

Rose felt relief wash over her so strongly her knees felt weak. She had been so nervous that he was going to laugh and sneer at her gift but she had put a lot of thought into it. He was proud of who he was and it was wrong of her to try and change that. She just wished that he would be more open to who he was underneath the name.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it," she said gently, indulging in the feeling of being pressed against his body. Too soon he was gone and moving to his side of the room.

"Maybe you could pin it to your dress robes?" she offered as she watched him. It appeared that he was truthful as well as he procured a wrapped gift very similar in size to the one she had given him. Her blush only deepened as she realized that he had been thinking of her.

"I plan on it," he said definitively as he approached her once more. She noticed that there was a light staining of pink to his cheeks as he held the box contemplatively.

Compared to her gift, he wasn't sure his was going to be nearly as wonderful. While they had been around each other for half the year already, he still didn't feel like he knew her well enough. She was still a woman so hopefully she would still like it. Deciding that it was now or never, he quickly gave her the gift and looked off. His nerves were on edge as he awaited her reaction. He watched her from the corner of his eyes.

Rose realized immediately that Scorpius was just as nervous as she had been and it was absolutely endearing. He was trying to play off that he wasn't nearly as interested but she could tell. Being around him as often as she had been had allowed or her to be able to pick up on his subtle gestures.

Smiling brightly at him, she was not nearly as gentle in opening the box. Her heart was racing at the fact that Scorpius had gone through the efforts of getting her something. It clearly meant something because he wanted to wait until they were alone to give it to her, meaning he didn't want to be embarrassed in front of everyone else. Whatever it was, she knew that she would love it just because it came from him. Unless, he was being cruel and playing some sort of prank on her.

Not wishing for that to be the case, she opened the white box which was hinged. Sitting inside amongst some white fluff was a beautiful necklace that sparkled in the light. It had a thin silver chain but connected to it was the outline of a heart. Half of it was white gold and the other half had several blue sapphires set into it. Rose let go of the breath she hadn't even been aware that she had been holding.

"This… is incredible…" she breathed before gazing at him with watery eyes. It was such a beautiful and thoughtful gift and she was becoming rather emotional because of it. Almost immediately Scorpius became alarmed at her near tears state. Had he managed to do something wrong? She seemed happy… but why the tears?

"Thank you so much, Scorpius," she said before she hugged him fully, tightly pressing her body against his.

Scorpius froze as a most delicious sensation assaulted his body. Having her in his arms, so elated, and her wonderful curves pressing in all the right places was almost too much for him to bear. He squeezed her tightly for just a moment before letting her go, clearing his throat uncomfortably. Damn, she did disastrous things to him without even trying.

"Let me put it on you," he offered as he took the necklace from her.

Gently, he set aside the box and waited for her to tuck her hair to the side so that he could slide the necklace on her. With deft fingers, he clasped the necklace around her neck and watched as it settled perfectly in the hollow of her throat. He had been drawn to the necklace because it reminded him of her eyes. Sure it was cheesy but it was the truth. Lightly he smoothed the chain down so that it would not snag and he found his fingers lingering on her silky skin.

Once more, Rose felt it difficult to breath. His touch was sending shivers throughout her body and she could not help but recall the dream she had of him. What it would feel like to have him touching her everywhere and to feel those strong hands caressing and squeezing her tantalizingly. She had to bite her lower lip to keep herself from moaning at the thought.

The obvious desire in Rose's eyes was almost his undoing. How easy it would be to sweep her off her feet, literally, and take her to his bed for an afternoon of pleasure. He knew that it would be easy and she would bend to his will effortlessly. His body wanted him to act on this impulse but his heart new better. Rose deserved someone much better than himself. Someone who would be with her out in the open, unafraid of what people would say. Though, the idea of her being with anyone besides himself was maddening.

"It looks good on you," he said gently as he finally removed his hands and took a step back. He needed to gain control of himself before he did something they would both regret. Disappointment flashed in the red-head's eyes but she said nothing in regards to it.

"Again, thank you. This is perfect," she said brightly as she smiled at him.

Never in a million years would Scorpius have thought that the best Christmas he had ever had in his entire life would have been because of Rose Weasley. She had given him so much more than she could have ever realized. Even if she had not given him a physical gift, he was more than thrilled with her gift of family. For the first time in a long time, he felt truly and genuinely happy and it was not because of something selfish that he had done. Rose had shared her family and her traditions with him and he found that he wanted to somehow, someway return the favor.

Rose was accepting him as he was. It was time for him to prove to himself and her just who that man was.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **A/N: Heya! So I wanted to start off with apologizing for how long it has taken me to update this story. I promise it is not dead nor dwindling. Me and my family were in a really bad car accident shortly after I updated the last chapter and I have been out of commission for the last few weeks. A really bad shoulder injury has made it very difficult to concentrate or write. However, I am finally able to push through and present to you this chapter. Please be patient as my updates make take longer than usual but as I mentioned before, the story is far from dead to me. I have so many ideas. I'm thinking around 30 chapters maybe a little less or a little more depending on the length of each chapter. As always, thank you for the reviews! I am so close to 100 and that is exciting.**

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 16*~**

"I look awful," Lily mumbled unhappily as she gazed at herself in the mirror. Sighing, she scrunched up her red hair on top of her head before letting it fall to her shoulders. She expelled a breath, clearly unhappy with the results.

"You look fine," Rose assured her as she stepped behind her cousin. Placing her hands on the younger girl's shoulders, she gently squeezed before lightly playing with her fiery locks.

Gazing at the mirror with Lily, it was quite obvious that the two of them were related. They were commonly mistaken for sisters instead of cousins. They were most certainly close like they were. Then again, their families were unbelievably close so it was no surprise. The Potter/Weasley bloodline sort of mushed together and it was hard to tell who belonged to whom sometimes.

"That's easy for you to say. You're perfect," she complained as she watched Rose begin to style her hair. A frown marred her cousin's features.

Sometimes, for Lily, it felt as though she couldn't quite match up to Rose. Yes, she was two years older than herself but sometimes it felt like a lifetime. There was a good reason why the two of them were in Ravenclaw together, but she definitely felt like Rose was the smarter of the two of them. She held herself with a confidence that Lily could never quite feel.

"Don't say that, it's not true. Hey, you've had better dating experiences than I have," she urged, finally eliciting a laugh from Lily.

"Well… you do have a point. Julien was terrible," she agreed as she recalled that fiasco. Rose had filled her in completely after the confrontation in the Great Hall. Speaking of confrontations, she recalled Rose telling her of another event that had happened just prior.

"There is always Scorpius," Lily continued, laughing as she noticed Rose's cheeks darkening. All of a sudden, Rose seemed more determined to work on her cousin's hair than before. A moment of silence passed between the two girls.

"He's not really an option," Rose finally said after the silence had become too much for her. She paused in what she was doing for just a moment.

Lily caught a sad look passing over Rose's face. It was becoming more and more obvious that there was something developing between the youngest Malfoy and Rose. Albus and Hugo were too dense to realize but it was becoming increasingly noticeable to her. Since the start of the term, Scorpius had changed considerably and had become rather protective over her cousin, especially as they had become partners in the tournament.

"Don't say that…" Lily said gently as she turned around to face Rose, gaining her full attention. She took one of her hands from her hair and held it in her own. Rose offered her a small smile as she squeezed the younger woman's hands.

"There are too many complicated factors. You even said yourself that I shouldn't wait for him. Even if we could get past our families hating one another, there is still the problem of Scorpius as a whole," Rose complained.

It had become more than obvious how obsessed with his reputation that Scorpius was. He would not allow for anything to tarnish it. Apparently random sexual encounters only added to his bad boy allure which was an asset to his reputation. He also only slept with pure blooded witches. Rose doubted that any of that would change even if their families got along. What did the two of them really have in common anyways?

"I don't think so. Our families are sort of the main problem. If he didn't have to worry about hating us, the two of you would be able to be around one another without any sort of facades," Lily countered as she tried to get her cousin to see reason.

"You are forgetting the whole 'pure blood' factor," Rose said with a resigned sigh.

"I don't think he's really like that. I think he just 'thinks' he has to be like that. I was really surprised this morning when he joined us. I could kind of see what you see. Don't give up," Lily finalized as she squeezed Rose's hands once more before releasing them and turning back to the mirror. "I have no idea what you're going to do with this rat's nest that is my hair."

Rose couldn't help but laugh at her cousin's response. Oddly enough, her brief words had done wonders in making her feel better. She just hoped that Scorpius was really worth it and that she wasn't making a terrible mistake. Everything would have to be on his terms. He would have to be the one to set the pace between the two of them. Right now they weren't anything official, but she liked to think that there was definitely something between them.

"Your hair is much more manageable than mine. Besides, there's always magic," she teased as she waved her wand in demonstration.

Several hours later, Rose found herself standing in front of a floor length mirror gazing at herself. She twisted this way and that as she observed herself at different angles. Honestly, she would have to say that she did a pretty good job in making herself up.

Make-up really wasn't her thing so she had used it sparingly but it did the trick. Her fiery hair fell in soft ringlets around her shoulders as she decided that curls would be easier to manage than straightening her hair. She had even taken some of her hair and braided it before pulling it to the back of her head.

Her dress robes were a beautiful sapphire blue that fell to the floor. It had a sweetheart neckline that drew attention to her cleavage a bit as well as the matching sapphire necklace that Scorpius had just given her earlier in the day. The bodice of the gown hugged her stomach and hips snuggly before flaring out in multiple layers of satin and tulle. The dress was strapless which showed off more skin than she was used to but surprisingly, she wasn't bothered by this. In fact, she felt gorgeous.

However, due to the fact that heels were not something she typically wore, she opted out for flats. It would be much safer for her that way. The last thing she wanted to do was trip and embarrass herself in front of everyone during the opening dance.

A squeal to her right pulled her out of her thoughts as Lily emerged from wherever she was putting on her own dress. Her cousin was dressed in a beautiful emerald green dress that came just above her knees in the front and trailed down to the floor in the back. The dress was held up by spaghetti straps with a curved neckline that Rose felt was a bit too revealing. They had finally settled on tying her hair up into a loose, messy bun with curled tendrils that framed her face. Rose was shocked by her cousin's appearance. One half of her brain thought she looked stunning and the more protective half thought that she was too revealing.

"Rose! You look amazing!" she squealed as she bounced over. Blinking a few times, Rose snapped out of her mental dilemma and smiled at Lily.

"Thank you. You look outstanding as well… are you going to be wearing a shawl?" she inquired before she could stop herself. Lily waved at her dismissively.

"Of course not. It would ruin the look," she stated before catching Rose's worried look. Rolling her eyes, she placed her hands on her hips. "I'm fifteen. I think I know what I'm doing. This is fine."

As much as Rose wanted to argue with her, she knew that the point was moot. While Lily was quiet, she could be rather stubborn and hard headed. She wondered if her aunt and uncle knew that this was what she was wearing to the Yule ball. A sinking feeling settled in her stomach as she realized they probably didn't. Her uncle Harry would have a stroke for sure.

"Alright, if you say so," Rose conceded.

"Besides… I'm hoping it will grab Alek's attention more firmly," she said with great determination.

For a brief moment, Rose started to silently agree with Hugo that perhaps there was something wrong with this guy. While he didn't outwardly display anything, Lily was slowly becoming a different person because of this obsession. She just hoped that Alek wasn't leading her on and toying with her emotions. Lily had said that he needed to do something first before they could date so it sounded like he was interested. She just had no idea what that "something" could be.

"He would be blind not to see you," Rose said gently before lightly ushering her cousin out of the dorm.

She had gone to the Ravenclaw dorm with Lily to get ready seeing as how Scorpius was more than likely getting ready in the room they were sharing. While he might not mind changing in front of her, she didn't want to change in front of him. However, she would not have minded watching him undress for a bit but that was a whole other matter…

The pair left the Ravenclaw tower and headed towards the Great Hall. They had promised Hugo and Albus that they would meet up on the far end of the hall so that they would not get swallowed up in the crowd that was amassing in front of the doors, waiting to be let in. The Champions would make their entrance last and proceed directly into the opening dance. Rose still wasn't sure how they were going to be choosing partners. Scorpius has speculated that it was random but maybe they would be able to choose. Would he choose her or allow her to choose him? Perhaps she was asking too much of that.

"Lily Luna Potter what in the _bloody hell_ are you wearing?" Albus bellowed as the two girls approached him and Hugo. Immediately he could see his sister rolling his eyes but he didn't care.

"Oh shut up. You're not my father," she growled irritably.

"No but if he knew that you were wearing that his reaction would be worse!" Albus continued as he stepped in front of his sister and stretched his arms out as if shielding her from any onlookers. Hugo frowned as he watched the two. This wasn't like Lily at all. At least, not the Lily that he grew up with.

"Stop it! You're embarrassing me!" she shrieked as she shoved her brother away from her. "I'm a grown woman, I can make my own decisions about my attire!"

"Is this because of that Alek git?" Hugo accused, finding himself to be just as annoyed. Lily spun on him, her eyes snapping fire.

"No one asked you! It's none of your business!" she snapped.

Hugo's eyes widened and he took a step back as though she had physically slapped him. Rose and Albus turned their attention to Lily. It was only on very rare occasions that Rose had ever heard the two of them fight and it was nothing of this caliber. Mostly it had been petty squabbles but she could see that Lily was about to lose her temper.

"Okay everyone, let's calm down," Rose started gently, not wanting for the group to be fractured. She could see that Hugo was hurt but trying to hide it. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he looked off. Lily exhaled deeply before flashing a bright smile as though she had not been affected.

"Right, I refuse to let anyone ruin this night for me," she said brightly. Albus looked over at Rose with shock still very apparent on his face. Without Lily noticing, Rose mouthed to him "we'll talk later".

"So, where are your dates?" Rose inquired as she looked at her brother and Albus. A teasing smile tugged at her lips as she recalled the disagreement they had regarding this choice topic. They had said they had dates but she had a feeling either they really didn't or they hadn't even asked the girls yet.

"They are not here yet. We were promised that they would meet us here just as you two did. Hugo asked one of his female friends and she just so happened to have an older sister who agreed to accompany myself here tonight. I'm sure they are still getting ready," Albus replied proudly. Rose looked over at Hugo who nodded but remained quiet. He was still stinging from Lily's outburst.

"How gracious of her to take pity on my poor cousin," Rose teased as Albus looked aghast at her comment.

"I'll have you know that I have women lining up, begging at the opportunity to be with me," he stated with a pout. Rose couldn't help but laugh at his demeanor.

"Sure thing, Al. I'll take your word for it," she continued.

All teasing aside, however, Albus wasn't far from the truth. While the Malfoys may not particularly like the Potter or Weasley families, the rest of the word felt differently. It was a problem especially for Albus because he wanted to create a name for himself aside from the victories that his father was known for. James, however, used it to his advantage when he was in school. He had been told on more than one occasion that his behavior was similar to his late grandfather that he was aptly named after.

"You look wonderful, Rose," Hugo said after a moment, realizing that neither himself nor Al had complimented her as Lily had distracted them immediately. He was happy when he saw a bright smile light up his sister's face.

"Thanks! I'm actually quite happy with how everything came out," she said gently as she finally took notice of the attire of the two men before her.

They were dressed in very nice black dress robes. Hugo wore a white button up shirt and black bowtie with his while Albus wore a deep maroon shirt and black bowtie. While Albus didn't seem to attempt to wrangle in his messy hair, Hugo had combed his into an elegant look. She was proud of the both of them regardless as they had both shown up looking very neat and clean.

"The both of you look stunning. Your dates will be weak in the knees," she teased but her compliment was sincere.

"Good evening everyone! Please, go inside and enjoy yourselves! Champions, this way!" the voice of the headmaster resonated through the hall. With good luck wishes ringing in her ears, Rose made her way over to where the headmaster was indicating.

A little way away from the flood of students filtering into the Great Hall were the three headmasters and all of the Champions. Rose's cheeks grew warm as she realized that she was the last one to enter the group, despite not being late. Apparently everyone else was particularly early. Her cheeks grew even warmer as all eyes fell on her as she moved to stand beside Scorpius, seeing as how everyone else was standing next to their respective partner.

Rose didn't miss the way that the Beauxbatons women looked her up and down before settling on looks of disdain. While she couldn't quite hear them, she knew that the girls were whispering to each other, more than likely in French. Soft giggles emitted from the two and Rose did her best to ignore them. She didn't need to impress anyone but herself and she had already determined that she was quite happy with how she looked.

Even with this thought, however, she felt just a bit insecure as she realized just how stunning the two women looked. Both of them wore very expensive dresses that seemed to only further accentuate their perfect, full figures. Everything about them screamed pure perfection from their hairstyles down to their shoes. These were the sort of women that Scorpius could be seen with.

For a moment, hear heart wanted to break but she refused to let it. These girls and Scorpius didn't matter. It was her opinion of herself that did. However, she couldn't help but hope that maybe the Malfoy at her side might be impressed with her appearance regardless.

Even if he wasn't, she was surprised to find that both of the Durmstrang males were openly staring at her. They gazed at her appreciatively which was not something that she was expecting of them. According to their silent reactions to her, they liked what they saw. Both Alek and Damien were dressed in their school uniforms but there were additional adornments that indicated formality. Rose thought that they looked impeccably pristine and dashing themselves.

Scorpius's shoulder brushing her own had her effectively removed from her current thoughts. It appeared that he had moved closer or maybe that was just her imagination running wild. Finally turning her attention to him fully, she found that no one else could hold a candle to how incredible he looked. There was something about him wearing black from head to toe that made her head a bit dizzy. Sparkling in the light was the pin that she had given him as a Christmas present. She liked to think that he was wearing it because she gave it to him and not just because he could flaunt that he was a Malfoy.

Everything about him was absolutely perfect. His white blond hair was sleeked back without a single hair out of place and it stood in stark contrast with all of the black that he was wearing. Being as close to him as she was, she could smell whatever spicy cologne he must have adorned himself with. Damn the man was absolutely intoxicating and when he finally turned his gaze onto her, she felt her knees grow weak and her stomach flutter.

Taking his time, Scorpius gazed at Rose, drinking in her entire appearance. He had been wondering where she was when he approached the group to wait for their entrance. Yes, he knew that women had a tendency to take a rather long time when getting ready for events such as this, but he didn't think that Rose was like that. Clearly he had been very wrong but damn was he glad that he was.

While he could tell that she was a bit unsure of herself, especially after the Beauxbaton girls' reaction, she still held herself with great confidence. However, if he could see Rose for how incredibly beautiful she was, that mean other men could. This was proven immediately as he noticed how the male Champions gazed at her. 

Possessiveness like he had never known ripped through him as he felt the undeniable urge to lay claim to what was his. He may not have even made it known to Rose that she was his, but she most definitely was. There was no way in hell that he was going to let anyone advance or make a move on her. She was his and, against his better judgement, he was hers. It took everything within himself to keep from grabbing her hand into his and never letting go, but this was not the time nor place for any of that. They had to keep up appearances.

However, the fact that she was wearing the necklace he had given her, almost shattered his resolve. It was silly, honestly, because why would she have removed it? She had been so happy when he had given it to her and had even allowed for him to place it around her neck. It matched perfectly with her dress but what had his mind distracted was where it lay. It was almost like an arrow directing him to her cleavage which was just barely visible. His mouth began watering at the idea of sliding the dress off her soft, creamy skin and exploring what lay beneath the fabric.

"You look absolutely beautiful," he complimented breathily in her ear, smirking a bit as he saw her visibly shiver. Little did she know just what sort of hold she had over him as well.

Rose felt her heart pounding in her throat when Scorpius had finally decided to look her way. She wasn't sure what he thought of her appearance until she saw the desire burning in his eyes followed by his silky response. The man was practically sex on a stick and she found herself discovering just exactly what it was that women found so incredibly attractive about him.

Scorpius bled confidence and refinement which just a few months ago she would have found just as obnoxious as his personality. Nevertheless, the last few months had demonstrated to her that he could be sweet and sincere. Mix all of this together and he became one hell of a deadly concoction to both her psyche and body.

"Th-Thank you. You look incredible yourself," she whispered, cursing that it was so obvious as to what he was doing to her. His smirk deepened and for once she didn't want to smack him. Instead her cheeks felt as though they were going to burn right off.

"Alright Champions, listen up. We have already set up the pairings for the opening dance. You _will_ be cordial to one another and you will _not_ embarrass your school," the Durmstrang Headmaster announced. Rose noticed that their headmaster looked less than pleased with the statement.

"Yes, please be cordial to one another, despite whatever past issues you might have with your dance partner," the Hogwarts headmaster stressed as he looked at each one of the Champions in turn.

For a moment Rose felt hopeful. Out of the three potential male Champions before her, the only one she had any sort of nasty history with was Scorpius but that was who she was hoping she would dance with. It wasn't like she particularly fought with the Durmstrang champions and she couldn't imagine that the headmasters were going to make her dance with one of the women.

"Let us get ready then, shall we?" the Hogwarts headmaster started as the hall was finally clear of any students.

"First pairing shall be Mr. Krum and Miss Beauchamp."

Rose watched as the headmaster led Damien and Marie towards the now closed doors to the Great Hall. Like a gentleman, Damien bowed his head and offered his arm to Marie to which she took. She held a look of disdain only briefly before smiling brightly. It appeared that she had somehow, instantaneously, convinced herself that this worked in her favor.

Rose was thankful that it wasn't Scorpius that Marie had been paired with. She hated that she was hoping so deeply to get paired up with him. It made her feel rather silly and juvenile. Maybe it was because she knew that he wouldn't dance with her outside of the opening dance. If the appearance was that he was forced to dance with her, then he wouldn't have to worry about his reputation taking a hit. It was stupid in her opinion but she knew better than to fight it.

Scorpius hadn't even been consciously aware that he had been feeling tense until relief washed over him that he wasn't dancing with Marie. To be perfectly honest, he didn't want to be pair with either of the Beauxbaton women. They had both made it perfectly clear that they despised him during the squabble in the Great Hall. Marie was close to Antoinette who had a lady boner for Julien and both of the women had turned on him viciously upon learning that he and Potter had roughed the prat up.

He shuddered at the thought of dancing with either of the female vipers. They may be beautiful but in his opinion, which was the most important one, they could not compare to Rose. Rose was nothing short of a sapphire clad goddess and would look even better on his arm. Okay, so maybe he also wanted to dance with her because that was what he genuinely desired.

"The second pairing is Mr. Dragoni and Miss Weasley."

Her heart sinking, Rose moved to where she was being indicated to stand. It hurt a lot more than she thought it would as disappointment flooded her. Almost instantly she felt stupid for having been so emotionally invested in such a silly thing as a dance but she couldn't help herself.

Alek bowed his head much like Damien did and offered his arm to her. A rather charming and happy smile spread across his lips as Rose accepted and they stood where they had been directed. This worked out in his favor for he had a few things that he intended on asking her while they were dancing. He could see, despite how hard she tried to hide it, that Rose was disappointed. It wasn't hard to figure out why. There was much more between the Hogwarts champions than what they were letting on.

Rose smiled brightly at Alek even though it was the last thing she felt like doing. It wasn't his fault and it would not be fair to punish him for it. Maybe this could be a good thing. She could try to get some answers from him in regards to Lily. That succeeded in making her feel a little better. Alek, she was sure, would break away from her as soon as the opening dance ended and she wanted to make sure that somehow, someway that Lily got her dance.

Stopping himself from growling irritably, Scorpius clenched his fist at his side as he saw Rose being led away and taking the arm of the Durmstrang male. It irritated him immensely but he knew that not even his Malfoy status would gain him what he desired. If he made it known just how badly he wished to perform the opening dance with Rose, it could potentially be problematic. From the corner of his eyes, he thought that he saw their headmaster sharing in his disdain but the look was gone as quickly as it appeared.

Scorpius was unable to hide his look of displeasure, however, when he realized that his dance partner was…

"Miss Chevalier and Mr. Malfoy, that makes you our third pairing. Right this way please," the headmaster indicated.

Despite the scene it would cause, Antoinette began shrieking and howling in high pitched French as she complained to her headmaster. Scorpius was not sure what she was saying but by the vicious gestures jabbed in his direction it was safe to assume that she was not pleased about the two of them dancing together. The Hogwarts and Durmstrang headmasters shared a look of awkwardness as they waited for the Beauxbatons headmaster to calm her student down. The two chirped away in French as the gestures became more exaggerated.

Rose winced at the explosion that she knew was to follow as the headmaster announced the last, obvious pairing. Antoinette was not pleased in the slightest and she could see that Scorpius shared in that sentiment. However, he was not making a scene over it. His eyes darted over to her and all she could do was offer him a sympathetic look. She supposed that all of Scorpius' choices for dance partners would cause him trouble and the thought saddened her that she was a part of that. If he didn't care so damned much about his reputation she wouldn't be.

A few more heated moments passed before Antoinette was finally satiated enough and was no longer screaming. Taking a few breaths, the woman composed herself and moved to stand in front of the Durmstrang headmaster.

"I wish to dance with one of zee Durmstrang boyz instead of zee 'ogwarts boy," she declared. The Durmstrang headmaster frowned deeply at the woman, finding her request to be preposterous.

"The pairings have already been decided. This is ridiculous. It is only one dance," he grumbled in displeasure.

"Surely it would not be a terrible idea to switch them around for the sake of cooperation?" the Hogwarts headmaster offered readily. He wasn't happy with the pairings either.

"It has already been decided! This foolish ends now!" the Durmstrang headmaster stated firmly, succeeding in silencing everyone. 

A rather unhappy Antoinette was ushered behind the rest of the pairs and begrudgingly took Scropius' arm. Rose found the whole scenario to be rather odd. Why was it such a big deal that they were paired as they were? From the looks of it, the Durmstrang headmaster had made the final, if not all, the decisions concerning the pairings. What was he up to? She turned her attention to Alek who just offered her an unfazed, charming smile. Maybe she was reading too far into this.

Scorpius bore a stoic expression on his face as he waited for the doors to the Great Hall to open. Antoinette had taken his arm but he could feel her nails digging into his skin through his robes in retaliation. He wasn't any happier than she was but he wasn't acting childish about it. Although, he would have to admit that he found the Durmstrang headmaster's behavior to be rather odd as well.

Rose felt her stomach flutter nervously as the doors to the Great Hall finally swung open on their own accord. She knew how to dance but it had been so very long since she had practiced. There had been some sort of instruction given by the heads of the houses but she had missed it due to her constant need to research for the next task.

One summer, right before Rose went into her fifth year at Hogwarts, she stayed with her Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur. Her cousin Victoire, whom was several years older than her, had taught her how to dance. She had roped in Teddy for demonstrations as the two of them were dating and he was constantly over. Despite his griping, he had proven to be a rather efficient dance partner and would never admit it, but Rose had been able to see how much he enjoyed dancing with Victoire.

Her cousin had been adamant on teaching her how to dance because she wanted Rose to be one of her bridesmaids at her wedding whenever her and Teddy got married. They were still together even now, but for some reason they had never actually married. She wasn't sure as to why but the two of them seemed rather happy regardless. After the Yule Ball, she would have to write her cousin a "thank you" letter for inadvertently preparing her.

Damien and Marie made their way into the Great Hall followed by Alek and Rose and then finally Scorpius and Antoinette. The hall, which had already been lavishly decorated for Christmas, was impossibly more impressive. Everything seemed to glitter and glow. Rose couldn't help but look around a bit as they made their way to the center of the dance floor. Brilliantly dressed students formed a semi-circle starting from one side of the open doors and arching to the other side.

As soon as the Champions made their appearance, the crowd began clapping at their entrance, welcoming them. Rose took several, quiet deep breaths as they took their place. Near the front of the crowd she noticed Lily gazing directly towards them. What stunned Rose was the look that was on her cousin's face. It was absolutely venomous and it startled her. What was her cousin so angry about? Surely she couldn't think that she had intended on dancing with Alek.

The lights dimmed so that she could no longer see the crowd. A spot light had centered on her and the rest of the Champions. Forcing herself to focus on the task at hand, she turned her attention to Alek fully as she placed her left hand in his and her right hand on his shoulder. Alek's other hand landed on her waist gently, but firmly. From over his shoulder she could see Scorpius and Antoinette following suit and despite the fact that it was rather obvious the two were not happy, she couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

Once the music started up, Rose wasn't able to dwell on anything outside of her dancing. While it had been quite some time since she danced last, she found the movements came naturally as though her body had never forgotten. Even though she wasn't dancing with Scorpius, she found that she was rather enjoying herself. Alek was either a natural or an absolute professional for he was much more graceful than she would have given his figure credit for. He was able to twirl and lift her with very little effort on his part and it made her feel very feminine. Despite trying to keep a professional appearance, Rose couldn't help but allow a small smile to adorn her lips.

Scorpius could plainly see and feel the malice that Antoinette was demonstrating toward him but thankfully she wasn't a terrible dancer. The last thing he needed was for her to embarrass him in front of the entire school. He would be damned if he let her do that. Obviously, he was nothing less than perfect in his dancing. It was mandatory that all Malfoys were schooled perfectly in refinement. While dance parties and balls were not something that was common in the current day and age, there were moments such as the Yule Ball where it was necessary to have the skill. He supposed that if he ever married one day, that it would be crucial for him to be adept on the dance floor.

For a flash of a moment, he envisioned his bride. She would be wearing an expensive white gown as he would have nothing less for his wife-to-be. Her features were obscured by a veil but he could distinctly make out the red of her hair. His heart skipped a beat at his daydream but that was not the only thing skipping.

"Pay attention!" Antoinette hissed in his ear as he missed a step, lightly treading on the edge of her floor length dress.

His cheeks burned hot at not only screwing up, however slightly, but being called out on it. He said nothing as he banished his thoughts and concentrated on the dance. At least, that was the idea until he noticed Rose and how graceful she moved along the dance floor. She appeared to glide as her dress flowed around her with every twirl and swaying motion. It was clear that she was focused on nothing but her dance partner. However, seeing that she was smiling and obviously enjoying herself, had him seething in jealousy.

"Ouch! What iz your problem?" Antoinette hissed once more as she gripped his hand angrily.

In his jealousy, he had not noticed that his grip on her waist had become particularly rough as he fought to contain himself. He murmured an apology and prayed for the dance to end before he absolutely lost his mind or made a complete fool of himself. Either one was a very likely scenario.

"You dance very vell. I am impressed," Alek complimented as he gazed down at Rose.

Lily spoke very highly of her cousin whenever he inquired about her but she seemed to make sure it was not a frequent topic of discussion. He supposed it made her feel inferior and perhaps even a bit jealous. For him, he was curious as to who his competition was. There was clearly more to the woman than she let on. She was rather quiet and reserved but he had seen that she had a hidden temper that could be sparked. Also, he had noticed that she was incredibly intelligent and while she did not seem overly graceful or feminine, tonight was proving to be quite the opposite.

"Thank you. You are rather magnificent yourself," Rose replied in return. Now that she didn't feel like she was going to mess up the dance, she began to focus on her other plan. "So… Lily seems rather fond of you."

Alek was surprised at the change of topic but he supposed that now was as good as any time for the two of them to talk. After this dance he was sure that Lily wasn't going to be overly fond of Rose being around him. It was plain to see that she fancied him and she had even voiced her interest of being with him. The idea was incredibly appealing but he had seen how fiercely protective her family was over her. That was why he needed to do this first.

"And I am fond of her as vell. There vas something that I needed to ask you, specifically," he started as he offered Rose a smile. "I vanted to ask your permission to court her. I figured you vould be easier to ask then her brother."

Rose was stunned at his response but also incredibly thrilled. Relief filled her as she realized that was what he had meant when told Lily he had something to do first. She was pleasantly surprised at the honor he possessed. As of right now, she saw no reason to dislike him as Hugo did. Maybe once Lily and Alek became official, she would calm down and return to herself. Girls sort of become mental when they are trying to capture their interest's attention.

"Really? Yes of course! Oh she will be so very happy. She was terrified that you were not interested. This is very good to hear. She wants to dance with you terribly bad," she said with a small laugh.

There was the concern, however, that after the tournament he would return home and Lily would not see him but things could always change. Maybe he could stay for the summer or vice versa. That was something to worry about at a later date though.

"She's not the only one. I think it is ridiculous that ve vere not able to pick our partners," he said as he twirled her and then pulled her back into his arms.

"I could not agree more," Rose pleasantly stated.

The music began to fade out softly, indicating that the opening dance was coming to an end. As soon as the Champions were standing still, a round of applause sounded through the hall. Alek bowed politely and placed a soft kiss on Rose's knuckles to which she curtsied and gently pulled away. Antoinette and Scorpius could not separate fast enough. Neither one bothered with formalities as they split. Marie and Damien seemingly had no issues with one another as they left one another amicably.

Immediately, the dance floor began filling with students. Rose made her way through the crowd as the lighting in the hall returned and she was able to find Lily much more easily. She was sitting at a table, looking rather unhappy with her arms crossed over her chest. Hugo and Albus were standing nearby with their dates, neither one brave enough to approach her. Relief was instantaneous on their faces as they saw Rose approaching.

"What happened?" Rose inquired as she stood in front of them.

Hugo shrugged his shoulders before turning away. He had enough of being snapped at for the night. When Lily decided to come to her senses, then he would talk to her. As the night was proceeding, however, it didn't appear like that was going to be any time soon. Gently he wrapped his arm around his date's waist and led her away to the dance floor. Rose wasn't sure what shocked her more: the fact that her brother legitimately had a date or that he wanted nothing to do with Lily.

"I have no idea. She's been in a foul mood since the dance started. My bet is that it has to do with that Durmstrang guy," Albus mused before shaking his head. "Maybe you should talk to her."

"I will," she agreed before smiling politely at Albus' date. Regardless of the circumstances, she was glad that he wasn't attending the dance alone. Excusing herself, she made her way over to Lily.

"Hey, how are –"

"Well you looked like you were enjoying yourself!" Lily snapped bitterly. Rose, much like Hugo, was stunned by her verbal backlash. However, she wasn't going to let her continue to be a brat.

"Now just a damn minute. I'm not going to allow this to continue on any further. You are being an absolute bitch to everyone around you and it is completely unnecessary," she growled, trying to tame her temper.

Family had a nasty tendency to bring it out faster than anyone. Well, maybe except for Scorpius. Lily jumped to her feet, her small frame shaking in anger.

"Maybe if everyone would get off my fucking case I wouldn't be!" she hissed as her cheeks became mottled by red. Rose could count the number of times on one hand that she had ever heard her quiet cousin swear. It seemed unnatural to hear it from her lips.

"Calm the hell down would you!? Why are you so fired up?" Rose continued, trying to get to the source of her cousin's anger.

"Isn't it obvious! I entrusted you with how I feel and you go and dance with Alek! You two seemed to enjoy yourself quite well, didn't you?!" she screamed.

Rose was thankful for the rather loud music otherwise she was sure the two of them would be attracting attention. Biting her tongue to keep from screaming herself, Rose took a deep breath and allowed her cousin to rant.

"So much for random pairings, huh? He's mine you know! I never get to do anything without everyone crawling down my throat! Everyone treats me like a child!" Lily continued, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes out of pure frustration. "It's not fair!"

"Lily, please calm down. It's not like that, I promise," Rose urged as she placed her hands on Lily's shoulder. The younger woman attempted to move away but Rose would not let her. Something had really gotten into her cousin. She never acted this hostile over anything.

"Then what is it?" Lily asked weakly, all of a sudden looking exhausted and maybe even a bit sickly. Concern sat heavy in Rose's chest at seeing her like this.

"I promise, they were random pairings but it ended up being a very good thing. I was happy, not so much for me, but for you. Alek spoke to me about you," she replied. Lily perked up a bit at this, gazing at her older cousin directly with hope shining in her eyes.

"He…. talked about me? What did he say?" she asked eagerly. Rose was glad that she was calming down but she hated that it was because Alek was taking an interest in her. Relationships were so complicated at her age. Hell they were complicated at any age.

"That thing that he wanted to do first… he wanted to ask permission to be with you. Yes, I know it seems rather medieval but maybe that's how things work where he's from. Regardless, he was smart to ask me and not Albus because that would have been a flat out 'no'." Rose explained. Lily's eyes lit up impossibly more as she grabbed Rose's hands from her shoulders and squeezed them tightly.

"And what did you say?!" she asked after a moment of silence passed between the two of them. It was obvious that she was incredibly anxious. A comforting smile appeared on Rose's face as she squeezed the younger woman's hands in return.

"I said 'yes' of course. He said that he wished he could have picked a dance partner because he would have chosen you. I promise you have nothing to worry about. I'm not interested in Alek and he doesn't appear to be interested in anyone but you. So please, be kind to everyone," Rose chastised but Lily seemed to not hear everything she said. Instead, she began giggling happily and twirled around once.

"Oh thank merlin! Thank you!" she squealed before she hugged Rose tightly, though very briefly.

"Am I interrupting?" a voice inquired behind the two girls.

Lily's cheeks instantly reddened and Rose had a feeling she knew who it was before she even turned around. Alek stood before them, a drink in each of his hands as he looked between the two. He wasn't sure what had happened but he gathered that Rose must have filled Lily in on what he had told her.

"Not at all, I'll see you two later," Rose said before taking her leave to give the two as much privacy as the Yule Ball would allow her.

Standing somewhere outside of the dance floor, she couldn't help but smile as she saw Albus dancing with his date. He seemed to be having a great time. Several feet away, she could see the same for her brother. Despite how terrible Lily had been to him; it didn't seem to hinder his attempt at enjoying himself. She was not sure who the woman was that he was dancing with, but she seemed nice enough.

Despite her smile, her heart felt incredibly heavy. While she was happy for her family, it hurt that she was standing alone on the sidelines. The one man she wanted to dance with, even if it was only for a little bit, wouldn't be caught dead in such a public act. Yes, they were the Hogwarts champions and it wouldn't be strange for the two of them to be seen together, Scorpius didn't see it like that.

A sigh escaped her before she could stop herself. It was so frustrating that she saw an entirely different side to him whenever they were alone but she had to pretend that it didn't exist when they were in public. The kiss they shared was never far from her mind either. Biting her lower lip, she wished that she could feel his upon her own once more but that would never happen. Not unless she delegated herself to a one-night stand. Scorpius wasn't known for dating.

It was irritating that she had no idea what the two of them were. She felt that it was becoming plain as day how she felt about him and she liked to think that he felt something for her to. He was rather possessive and was drawn to bouts of jealousy but he refused to do anything about it. At the rate the two of them were going, she might just end up killing him to set herself free.

As much as she wanted to be angry at him, she just couldn't. He had done things that, in his own way, were sweet. Such as hunting Julien down and pulverizing him for her. While she shouldn't condone such violent acts, she would be lying if she said that it didn't thrill her. It also didn't help that she had wanted to do the same thing herself but that would have been incredibly bad. She was a Hogwarts Champion and Head Girl. That meant she had to lead by example. Scorpius didn't really care about the rules. He adhered to them just enough to keep out of trouble.

Unable to watch the dancing couples any longer, Rose turned away in search of something to drink and snack on. She needed a moment to compose herself before she swirled down into an unnecessary depression. Succeeding in finding what she was looking for, she snagged a pastry and a cup of the offered punch. Nibbling daintily at treat, she nearly spilled her drink all over herself as a voice was all of a sudden in her ear.

"You're dancing with me," Scorpius demanded as he took the pastry from Rose and polished it off in two bites followed by removing her drink and downing it. Tossing the cup aside, he took her hand and led her away, refusing to allow her to deny him.

Scorpius had made up his mind before they had even started the opening dance. Hell his mind was made up when he was getting ready for the stupid ball. One way or another he was going to dance with Rose. There was no way in hell he was going to allow for any other man to whisk her off of her feet. While he wasn't proposing that the two of them become official, he was subtly laying claim on her publically so that no one else would try.

It was his hope that if they were seen dancing with one another, any potential suitors would be too wary of his wrath to attempt to do the same. When Scorpius Malfoy laid claim on another, the rest of the world had better back off. Everyone knew that to steal from a Malfoy meant dire consequences. No, they were not dating and he wasn't ready to make that commitment, but he wasn't ready to let her go either.

Rose was trying very hard to comprehend what had just happened in a time span of just a few seconds. She was drinkless and foodless and was now being drug somewhere. Finally, her brain caught up with the events and she found herself putting the brakes on where they were going. Scorpius looked back at her with great annoyance, wondering why she had stopped all of a sudden.

"Women like to be asked, not demanded to do things," she grumbled as she frowned at him.

Her heart was screaming at her brain currently. Why was she potentially ruining the chance to dance with Scorpius over the way he asked her? She knew that he acted a certain way around people and they were surrounded by just that. Right now she wished she could take back her words. Her heart hammered in her chest at how close she was to being able to dance with him, despite them being in public. Before she could tell him to disregard what she said, he began speaking.

"Will you dance with me, please?" he asked sincerely. Instead of looking away as he normally did when he was forced to be nice, he gazed at her directly. Rose felt like she honestly might faint from how surreal the situation felt. Was this really happening or was she stuck in a day dream?

"It would be my pleasure," she said gently as she gripped his hand securely. Her heart was racing but she was beyond ecstatic. Scorpius offered her a soft, heartfelt smile and she nearly felt her legs give out underneath her. Damn he could be charming as hell when he wasn't being a prat.

Thrilled that she had accepted his dance, Scorpius wasted no time in leading her to an open space on the dance floor. It was away from most of the couples but that was how he preferred it. They didn't need to be the center of attention by any means. The Opening Dance was more than enough for him for now. Gently, he enclosed his arms around her waist and pulled her close, forcing her to wrap her arms around his neck. It felt more amazing than he could have ever hoped to have her so close, in his arms, and swaying gently to the music.

Rose was still trying to convince herself that she wasn't dreaming when she felt his arms snake around her, pulling her body flush against his. Her cheeks warmed immediately but she had never felt more content. She leaned her head against his shoulder and let the moment wash over her completely. It was such a sweet, tender moment she could hardly believe that she was sharing it with Scorpius Malfoy. This was everything she could have hoped for and more.

Scorpius swallowed hard as he was assaulted by emotions that he was most certainly not used to. His heart was beating in his throat as he continued to move with the red head in his arms. Rose and himself had come one hell of a long way since the beginning of term. Who was he kidding? It was he who did all of the changing. Rose had always been a rather accepting person even when they were younger. She tried to be friends with him but he wouldn't allow for it.

While his father never directly told him that he couldn't be friends with her, his grandfather was another story. His grandfather, Lucius, believed in upholding the Malfoy ways even if his father didn't. It was his grandfather who believed so strongly in the pureblood status and still held a horrible grudge against the Weasleys and Potters. According to his father, it was worse now than it was ever before.

His father was incredibly busy all of the time, so growing up Scorpius found himself in his grandfather's presence the most. It was he who taught him his family history and what it meant to be a Malfoy. This included all of the benefits and expectations of one who carried the name. His grandfather personally overlooked his extra studies that were outside of Hogwarts.

His grandfather had made being a Malfoy sound so prestigious and grand, so with that came certain obligations and responsibilities. Now that he thought about it, his father never particularly pushed him in one direction or another, but he didn't discourage his behaviors either. As a young boy, of course Scorpius wanted nothing more than to impress his grandfather and father. Old habits were hard to destroy as he was starting to realize that maybe being a Malfoy wasn't what it was cracked up to be.

While his father may not always feed into the feud that was heavy between the Malfoys and Weasleys, that didn't mean that it didn't still exist. This had become very apparent the night before the first task. His father had no problem egging on Rose's father who was quick to rise to the bait. Even if the feud wasn't as important to his father as it was to his grandfather, that didn't change the history between his father and Rose's father. They would never get along and as long. As long as Rose's father was so easily bated, he doubted that his father was ever going to stop.

In fact, Scorpius wasn't even sure the last time Rose's father and his own had been forced to interact with one another. Sure they had seen one another at King's Crossing when everyone would board the Hogwarts Express every year but that was from a distance. Surely, when they had seen one another the night before the tournament, it must have felt like time had never passed between the two. It was their adolescent time at Hogwarts again and Scorpius, wanting not to disappoint his father, had fed into it as well for that was what he had been taught was the Malfoy way.

Scorpius had noticed throughout his life that his father, while different in many different ways from his adolescent days, still enjoyed getting a rise out of people if he could. Typically, it was so that something worked in his favor. He supposed that, maybe what his father had been doing that night, he felt, was in Scorpius' best interest, even if he didn't understand what that was supposed to be.

Understanding his father was an enigma in itself. Scorpius wasn't sure why his father even listened to his grandfather but he supposed that everyone still needed their parents no matter what age they were. Even if the two of them seemed to argue more than anything. His grandfather typically wasn't happy with how his father had changed but he refused to stop trying to change his mind.

His grandmother, Narcissa, would often spoil Scorpius but it seemed that she felt it easier to go along with what her husband thought than to go against him. Sometimes his grandmother would express to him her views which were sometimes drastically different from her husband's but that was typically when he wasn't around. Scorpius' father was incredibly close to his grandmother and he supposed she held her own influence over him as well but it didn't seem to be as strong.

To be perfectly honest, he was sure that his mother had been deeply disappointed in his father and himself that night. His mother was the polar opposite of what a Malfoy stood for. While she belonged to a pure-blooded family, she did not view pure-bloods as superior to those with muggle parents. He recalled a childhood memory of using the word "mudblood" and her smacking his mouth for it. If she had known all of the things that he had done while at school, she would be disgusted by him.

For a moment guilt sat in as he recalled that even as recent as this term he had used the derogatory word and it was towards the woman in his arms now. Yes, he mother would be deeply disappointed and that bothered him more than disappointed the male figures in his life. Merlin, he felt like a complete and total arse.

Scorpius hadn't even realized he had fallen so deeply into thought until he felt a soft finger gently running between his brows, down the bridge of his nose, and finally resting on his pursed lips. Blinking a few times, he recalled where he was, what he was doing, and who he was doing it with. Lightly he placed a kiss against Rose's finger as he gazed down into her inquisitive face.

"Welcome back. What were you thinking about? It seemed really…. intense," Rose asked, trying to fight past the feeling of Scorpius kissing her finger. Something had changed in him.

"My upbringing. Believe it or not, my grandfather had a lot to do with raising me," he answered. He frowned when he saw the shocked look on Rose's face. "What?"

"I can't believe you answered me. Normally you scoff and tell me to mind my own business. I like that you trust me enough to tell me," she explained after a moment. A light dusting of pink appeared across his cheeks and nose as his frown deepened. He wasn't really sure what to say to that.

"Well you asked…" he mumbled as he looked off. He felt a hand on his cheek as his face was guided so that he was looking at Rose once more.

"I'm glad you told me. I want you to feel comfortable enough to tell me anything," Rose said gently as she offered him a sweet smile.

Scorpius wanted nothing more to taste her lips yet again and permanently seer the sensation into his brain. She was absolutely perfect and the fact that she was not taken yet was shocking to him. He supposed most guys were too intimidated by her intelligence but not him. No, he found that he was rather attracted to her brain as well as her body. While her temper may cause problems at times, he enjoyed that she was fiery enough to fight back.

The slow music drifted off and was quickly replaced with something more upbeat and fast paced. It broke the serenity of the moment the two had been sharing. Rose was disappointed to say the least but she would appreciate what she did have. Slowly she broke away from Scorpius and turned to leave, figuring that was what he wanted, but was surprised to find that he had caught her hand and refused to let go. Rose turned to him once more and gave him a questioning look.

"I'm not done with you," he said with a sly smile that immediately set her body on fire. Damn, he knew what he was doing and by merlin's beard was he good at it.

"Oh yeah? What if I'm done?" she teased but this only succeeded in his smirk widening.

Tugging on her hand, he spun her back into his arms but this time with her back to his chest as his hands fell to her hips. Obviously he hadn't quite thought this through because suddenly he found himself biting his lower lip rather viciously as her arse was planted firmly against his groin. The sensation of her body so firmly pressed against his own was maddening.

Around him he could see several of the couples moving to the rapid beats of the music and not all of the moves were appropriate. It did nothing to quell the desire that was building within him. Especially when Rose began moving to the music and rubbing against him. He refused to believe the minx didn't know what she was doing. His suspicions were confirmed as she looked over her shoulder at him deviously.

"Something the matter?" she questioned as she saw Scorpius warring with himself. It was incredibly bold of her but for once he deserved to be knocked off his feet.

"Shouldn't start something you won't finish," he whispered breathlessly in her ear as he gripped her hips a bit more firmly.

There was no denying the reaction his body was having to hers and things were quickly becoming uncomfortable. He was almost entirely undone as he witnessed Rose biting her lower lip in what had to be the most seductive manner he had ever seen. She was lucky that he had a shred of self-control otherwise he would be whisking her off to his bed to take advantage of her.

"Who says I won't?" Rose countered before she could even stop herself. What in the hell was she saying? She was allowing herself to get too caught up in the moment but it felt too incredible to stop. Scorpius wasn't the only one fighting an obvious desire.

Immediately Scorpius' mind began racing with all of the possibilities of what she was insinuating. Within moments he had imagine several different scenarios and variations of the two of them naked and intertwined. The room was becoming stiflingly hot and he wasn't sure how much of her gyrating against him he was going to be able to stand before it was too much.

Thankfully, the song that was playing seemed to be a short one as the tempo changed once more. The two of them were softly panting but far more out of breath than the dance would have entailed. Rose turned to face the Slytherin one the song ended but was unable to say anything. The sexual tension between them was so intense it was a wonder how they both kept their clothes on.

"Perhaps we should take a break," Rose offered, earning only a simple nod from Scorpius as they finally broke away entirely from one another. "I'll get us some drinks." Yet again all she got was a nod before she quickly left to do as she promised.

Pressing a hand to her forehead, Rose couldn't believe what had just happened. She definitely needed a moment to cool down in more ways than one. Before she could reach the drinks, she saw Albus and Hugo sitting at a table without their dates, heads pressed close to one another as they spoke. It looked as though they were conspiring which was never a good thing. She made her way over to the two and as soon as they saw her they broke away guiltily.

"What are you two doing?" she asked as she arched a brow.

"Nothing," Albus replied a little too quickly. Hugo's eyes darted to the dance floor and then back to Rose but not before she caught the look. Taking a gander herself, she saw Lily and Alek dancing in a manner that was much worse than what she and Scorpius had been doing. Recalling Lily's meltdown, she cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes sternly on the men.

"You two leave her alone. I don't care what you two were planning but you leave her and Alek alone. He would be stupid to try and do anything," she warned.

"You don't know that! That's my baby sister!" Albus whined miserably as he begged Rose to see reason.

"Albus Severus Potter, you cut that out. Don't you dare butt in or I _will_ kick your arse. Same goes for you Hugo," Rose continued. Much to her surprise, Hugo conceded immediately as he held his hands up defensively.

"Fine but when something goes wrong, I warned everyone," he said as he stood up and walked away from Rose and Albus. A sigh escaped Rose as she shook her head. The night held more drama than she had anticipated. How long before Scorpius followed suit?

"Why aren't you with your date?" she asked Albus.

"She's in the loo. Where have you been?"

"Dancing. What else would I be doing?" At this, Albus gave her a suspicious look.

"Yeah? With who?"

"Damn, you really are nosey. Don't worry I can handle myself. Now if you'll excuse me, I need a drink," Rose said definitively, leaving a bewildered Albus to contemplate what had just happened.

A few moments later and Rose met up with Scorpius once more, handing him a cup of punch before sipping her own. She had more than expected him to have been stolen by one of the many women who had been ogling him all night. It was to her great surprise that she had found him only a short distance away from where she had left him.

"Potter looked rather unhappy. Did he see us?" Scorpius questioned once he finished his drink. It only managed to satiate his physical thirst but his body was still starving for Rose.

"How did you… were you spying on me?" Rose asked with a wrinkle of her nose as she looked out over the crowd. He would have really had to be keeping an eye on her in order to see anything from his current vantage point.

"You bet your arse I was. Had to make sure no other dickhead stole you," he grumbled possessively. Rose couldn't help but laugh at his response. The two of them were the definition of complicated but she wasn't complaining much. The fact that he was possessive over her caused warm sensation to settle in the center of her chest.

"If you haven't noticed, you're the only 'dickhead' I like," she said with a giggle which turned into full laughter at his aghast look.

"You're gonna pay for that," he informed her as he closed the distance between her and a table behind her. Rose squeaked as she realized she couldn't move any further away from him.

"Y-Yeah? How's that?" she probed, hating that her nervousness was showing. Why was she nervous all of a sudden?

"A wager," he replied simply. It took Rose a moment to get what he was saying. After her brows furrowed together questioningly he explained further. "A dance off. If you can't keep up with me, then you have to do whatever I want for one hour."

This most certainly was not what Rose was expecting from Scorpius. While it was something entirely in his nature, she had not expected it within this moment. For a brief couple of seconds, she mulled over the idea. She knew that he would have to be an impressive dancer because he was a Malfoy and she had witness a bit of his skill with the Opening Dance. However, she was nothing to sneeze at either. She just wasn't sure if she would be able to best him. Being indebted to Scorpius for an entire hour could spell out trouble. However….

"And what if I can keep up?" she asked.

"Then I will do whatever you want for an hour," he responded quickly.

Scorpius wasn't entirely sure of what he was doing but he knew that he truly enjoyed the idea of being able to do whatever he wanted with her for an entire hour. The possibilities were endless. He was fully confident that she wouldn't be able to keep up with him. Not that he doubted that she had any sort of skill, it just wasn't on the same level as his.

"Whatever I want?" she repeated, making sure they were both clear on the terms.

" _What. Ever_ ," he stressed with a smirk.

"Fine, you're on. We'll start with the next song," Rose declared as she outstretched her hand to him, forcing him to take a step back in order to take her hand and shake it in promise.

Soon after they agreed on the terms, the current song ended and was replaced with an instrumental melody that was provided as a sort of break for everyone dancing. Several couples remained on the dance floor and swayed lazily to the beat but a good portion of the floor had been cleared. All of a sudden, Rose felt incredibly nervous. When they were dancing before the floor was packed so the two of them weren't all the noticeable. Now, it would be easy to spot them. She wondered if Scorpius realized this and if he was going to back out. Would that mean she instantly won? Either way, she supposed, she won.

It did not escape Scorpius' attention that the dance floor had become increasingly open. That was not something he was counting on to be perfectly honest. So far, the two of them had not been obvious in their dancing. Now, there would be no denying that the two of them were dancing with each other and by choice. He supposed he could tell everyone that it was a challenge and openly welcome the attention but he knew that Rose would not appreciate it. She didn't particularly enjoy being the center of attention. He exhaled slowly and deeply, realizing what he was subjecting himself to. Besides, the reward would be more than worth it once they were alone.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked Rose as he headed onto the dance floor, seemingly unfazed by some of the attention he was already receiving. Not wishing to give Scorpius a moment to reconsider, she hurried after him gracefully.

As though it was meant to be, the moment she took Scorpius' hand to begin the dance, the melody grew faster. It was the perfect tempo for a fast paced waltz. A grin graced Rose's features as she became more confident that this was something that she could do. Victoire had taught her many dances over that summer she spent with her. Her older cousin had become something of a dance expert over the years and made Rose practice with her not only for her future wedding but because Teddy would opt out after a while. Even though it had been a while since she practiced last with Victoire, the music was bringing it all back to her.

Despite the confidence that Rose had, Scorpius new that he would be the victor. Of course he would lead her on for a bit and start off easy but that was the nicest that he was going to be. With her hand in his and his other on her waist, he led the dance. It was an easy four step box motion that just about anyone with little to no experience could complete. He would have been seriously disappointed if she could not match at least that.

Rose knew almost immediately what Scorpius was doing but for now she would play his game. Like the proper partner, she let him lead as she gracefully followed his steps. Every so often he would twirl her at the end of a four count and then bring her back into his arms. A proper waltz was choreographed and practiced several times so that the couple would be in sync. Right now she was having to go along with his motions while making it appear flawless. It felt like she was having to read his mind.

The tempo of the music picked up once more. She had the feeling that perhaps someone had caught on to what they were doing and was, in a sense, challenging them further by adjusting the music. As soon as the beat changed, Rose took the opportunity to lead the dance. To any onlooker, it would not appear as though she was in fact leading the dance which only attributed to the skill that Scorpius clearly possessed. He was flawless in his steps and nothing she did appeared to trip him up.

At one point, she entrusted him completely to hold her weight as she bent backwards as far as she could while lifting a single leg into the air with her arms outstretched behind her. Impressive was putting it lightly. He didn't even shudder under her weight as he held her, even going so far as to lean forward with her while supporting the both of them.

After this, Scorpius pulled her flush against his body, shocked at the amount of skill that she displayed. There was most certainly more to her than she let on. It was thrilling to see the normally reserved Rose Weasley dancing so freely and trusting him so fully. For just a moment, he forgot that this was a contest. The brilliant smile that lit up her face made his heart soar. This was the sort of reaction he wanted to elicit from her. He hated being the reason that she cried or was angry. She had come to mean so much to him.

Yet again the tempo changed and the two of them were moving even faster than before. Every step, every twirl, and movement was completely fluid and perfect. Rose could hardly believe that this was Scorpius she was dancing with. The dance had become more than just a contest. Emotions were finally being spoken without the necessary words. A dance such as this required passion and it was apparent that neither one of them lacked this. It was why they were moving so seamlessly with one another.

The dance ended with Scorpius dipping Rose extremely low to the floor, sustaining her weight effortlessly as she gripped onto his arms. Both of them, by this point, were panting softly from how much effort they had been exerting. Rose's hair had partially come undone and fell in fiery whisp around her face. Her eyes were bright with excitement and adoration for the man currently holding her. Even Scorpius' impeccable hair had a few loose strands and his eyes mirrored Rose's. In this single moment, they had become once person.

Scorpius had become oblivious to everything except for the woman in his arms. He had forgotten where they were, who was watching, and that this was a contest that he had started. Never in his life had he seen any woman look as exquisite as Rose did in this moment. She was perfection and he would accept nothing less. Her luscious lips were parted as she attempted to regain her breath and never did he feel a desire so fierce tear through him as he did now. It didn't compare to what he felt earlier when they were dirty dancing.

A thunderous applause erupted around the couple as it was signified that the dance had ended. Every eye in the hall had been glued on the duo. Whispers hissed along the group, wondering if this had been planned by somebody. It had been far too perfect. There were even a few high pitched whistles that only caused the excitement to grow even further. Yet, the two did not move an inch. They were still lost in their own moment.

Rose could do nothing but gaze up at the stunning man above her. Desire was tangible in his steely gaze and she wanted nothing more than to reciprocate it. What they had just done was beyond perfect and she doubted she would ever have a moment like this again in her life. She could feel his warm breath coming out in puffs against her lips. More than anything she wanted, no needed, Scorpius to kiss her. It would be the perfect ending to her night, no doubt. Well, that was not to say she couldn't think of more indulgent things they could do but that was for a much later time.

Vaguely, Scorpius made note of the noises that were drowning out the music but none of that mattered to him as he felt himself moving impossibly closer to Rose. All he wanted to do was kiss her and become drunk on the passion that she had been giving him. Nothing could compare to that. His muscles began burning from the prolonged weight straining his body. He was exhausted from the dance but he absolutely refused to give in. Nothing was going to stop him this time.

In fact, he was about to throw caution to the wind and indulge in his desire when an explosion rang throughout the hall and he collapsed with Rose protectively in his arms just as they were pelted with wooden shrapnel. Something had just torn apart the doors to the Great Hall.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **A/N: Heya! Sorry for how long it has taken me to update. I just recently fully recovered from my car accident months ago and have just returned to work this week. Also, my son just had his first birthday. My goal is to get back to updating weekly like I was doing before. Wow, 98 reviews! That's almost 100 and that's exciting! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. Just a forewarning, there will be some dark and graphic scenes later in the chapter. You have been warned. It's a lengthy chapter so maybe you guys will forgive me for my hiatus? As always, please read and review! 3**

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 17*~**

Rose's ears were ringing from the explosion that had torn apart the doors to the Great Hall. As the ringing began to fade, it was immediately replaced with screams. All around them, people were screaming and scrambling to get as far away from the doors as possible. Groaning, she found that she was unable to move because of a pair of arms wrapped securely around her.

"Are you okay?" Scorpius inquired with a groan as he looked down at the woman in his arms. They were both covered in pieces of wood and still currently residing on the floor. He wasn't sure what had happened except that utter chaos was ensuing around them.

"Yeah… I'm fine." Rose began before gasping after she was able to sit up and get a good look at Scorpius.

Protruding from his back was a large piece of sharpened wood. The force of the explosion lodged it in his back and he hardly seemed to take notice or so she thought until she realized that sweat had begun to bead on his forehead and his body was tense. "But you're not!"

"I'll be fine. We need to move—" he started but was promptly cut off as a massive shadow engulfed the two of them. His back was to whatever was standing above them, but Rose was facing it. The look of horror in her widen eyes definitely had him nervous. Having dangerous creatures looming behind him was becoming a too frequent occurrence for his liking.

" _Stupefy!_ " she yelled as light shot from her wand. Scorpius couldn't help but allow his jaw to drop at the sight.

"Where in the hell did you keep that thing?!" he exclaimed. Instead of answering him, Rose pulled him to his feet and away from the beast that was rapidly approaching them.

Looking over his shoulder, Scorpius finally discovered what it was that was currently causing hell in the hall. Standing before them was the chimera they had fought during the first task. If they had thought that it was pissed before, it was nothing compared to how furious the beast currently was. Instead of the seven snake heads that it had started with before, it was currently possessing eleven and every single one of them was irritated and hissing with their fangs barred. Their eyes were glowing an unnatural blue which was not the color they had been before. Someone had obviously been fighting the damned thing, hence the multiple heads. The newfound eye color, he had a feeling, meant that it was stronger than before. Great. Just great.

The minotaur portion of its body had its fists poised and ready for an attack while its wings unfurled and expanded to their full length. Thankfully, it would not be able to fly despite how high the ceilings were in the hall. The attempt would hinder it more than anything. A cracking noise tore through the air which made Scorpius' stomach plummet. The chimera had in one of its fists a barbed whip and it was snapping in their direction dangerously.

The lights in the hall returned to full illumination so suddenly that everyone stood frozen, momentarily blinded by the brightness. Even the chimera gave pause, each snake head snapping and hissing in anger. Rose took this moment to pull Scorpius further away from the beast. It seemed to have its sights on them. While they had fought it once before, they had just barely managed it and it appeared to be much stronger now than it had been before.

Rose's heart was pounding in her throat. There was the potential for so many casualties, especially because the beast now had a devastating whip that could grab nearly anyone, effortlessly, in such a confined space. Something needed to be done immediately. She needed to first find her family and make sure that they were taken out of the danger zone. If she failed to protect any of them, she would never be able to forgive herself. It was her duty to look after them.

Scanning the area, she saw that Albus was with his date, attempting to protect her while frantically looking around for everyone else. On the other side of the hall, away from Albus, was Hugo mirroring his cousin's actions. He too, was protecting his date and looking for the rest of his family. His eyes locked with Rose's and there was a brief look of relief. What was frightening her, was that she didn't see Lily anywhere. Alek wasn't to be found either, but she hoped that was because he had found a safe place for her cousin. He had better, or she would make him pay in failing his duties to protect her. It was what he silently agreed to when he asked for permission to date her.

A tight, almost painful, grip on her arm pulled her attention to Scorpius as it was his doing. He looked rather pale and the sweat was sliding down the side of his face now. Silently, she cursed herself as she recalled why. He still had that piece of wood protruding from his back and in the shuffle, she had completely forgotten about it.

"Oh, Scorpius, I am so sorry," she whimpered before moving behind him. "I have to move fast before that thing comes after us. I am sorry for the following pain."

Before he had a moment to response, she yanked the piece of wood out before quickly waving her wand and reciting an incantation that would staunch the blood flow. She was able to mend simple wounds, but this would take more experience than what she possessed. Hopefully, the blood wouldn't seep out long enough for them to get more professional help.

Scorpius hissed in pain but he was thankful that it had been over with quickly, despite how much it hurt. He didn't have time to be injured. Despite her having said nothing, he knew that she was incredibly worried about her family and wanted to get to them. There was still screaming all around them and he wondered why no one was helping sooner. Where were the professor chaperones? Hell, where were the headmasters?

Upon his own observation, he saw Madame Dubois, the Beauxbatons headmistress, shielding her students but doing little else. In fact, it looked as though she was waiting for direction of sorts. Professor Kozlov, the Durmstrang headmaster, was nowhere to be found and he found that to be strange as hell. This would have seemed like a great opportunity to demonstrate his skill and make Durmstrang look like the powerful hero. Did the bastard chicken out or was it something more sinister? Scorpius barely had a moment to comprehend this before their own headmaster stepped towards the chimera.

The man had a dangerous air about him which was rather frightening. Normally, he was goofy as hell and nonsensical. It was hard to believe that he possessed any real power but watching him now, it was a completely different story. His robes, which earlier in the night were decorated with galaxies and stars, had taken on the appearance of a black hole, wreaking havoc and inhaling the stars and galaxies.

Without thinking about it, Scorpius' arm slid around Rose protectively. At this moment, he was not sure who was more dangerous: the headmaster or the chimera. Sensing the same as Scorpius, Rose found herself leaning into him. She had never seen their headmaster so dangerous and protective at the same time.

Their school had never been under attack and in fact, she had never even seen the man scold anyone. All disciplinary actions seemed to have been delegated to their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Deming. She was the deputy headmistress so it did make sense. It appeared that, in this moment, they were going to see just exactly why this man had the title of headmaster.

All of the screaming stopped as more students caught on to what was happening. Even the chimera took a moment to observe the man approaching it. The beast could sense the power as it hesitated in attacking immediately. Its grip around its weapon tightened as the headmaster drew closer and closer. Soon, he was only a couple of meters away from the creature, which then made it nervous. The heads began hissing in warning and it started swaying the barbed whip slowly from side to side, indicating that it could strike at any moment.

The headmaster never broke eye contact with the multiple heads of the creature. His eyes darted rapidly from each one, keeping a close watch on every movement it was making. For a moment, neither being moved except for the swaying of the snakes. Reaching into his robes, the headmaster went to retrieve his wand but the sudden movement spooked the chimera, forcing it to attack quickly.

A screech similar to that of a banshee emitted from one of the heads, causing everyone to cover their ears and a few to fall to the floor in pain. It was an attack mean to disorient the victim but the headmaster did not appear fazed. While everyone was unsettled from the scream, the chimera began thrashing its whip wildly, destroying nearby tables and decorations. More screams filled the room as several people, who were not already on the floor, dropped down to avoid being hit. Higher pitched wails, indicated that some were not so lucky as to avoid the attack.

"Scorpius, we have to do something!" Rose hissed. Scorpius had pulled her to the ground with him, keeping an arm around her protectively as he shielded her once more. Neither one of them, thankfully, had been injured.

"And what would that be? If you haven't noticed, the damned thing is stronger than before. The headmaster should be able to handle it," he said as he looked back to the battle that had begun.

Brightly colored lights were emitting from the headmaster's wand as he flung spell after spell at the chimera. Some of his attacks were silent and not requiring incantations, which was impressive in its own. Thankfully, none of the attacks did anything to sever any of the heads. The last thing he would have needed were additional snakes to fight against.

The headmaster proved to be rather spry as he danced around the creature and avoided its attacks with the whip. Once more the beast swung its weapon at the headmaster, hissing angrily when it was avoided once more. However, a few more students had taken the damage instead. Upon hearing the anguished cries of his students, something seemed to have snapped inside the man. His demeanor became more deadly and prominent as he stalked and circled the beast. Once more, the chimera took notice of the change and briefly lowered its weapon.

Before the creature had the chance to attack again, a spell directly hit its whip and launched it into the air before disintegrating it entirely. Everyone in the hall was captivated by the move, including the chimera. While Rose was impressed, she used this moment of quiet to slide through the crowd and try to reach her family. Scorpius caught hold of her hand and laced his fingers with hers as he followed. There was no way in hell he was letting her out of his sight. Despite what was going on, a small smile graced Rose's features at Scorpius' actions.

"Al!" Rose called out as she finally reached her cousin.

There was a panicked look on his face as he was kneeling down beside someone. Gasping sharply, Rose fell to her knees beside her brother who had a deep gash in his shoulder. His robes had been torn to reveal the wound and someone had attempted to wrap it with pieces of the fabric to staunch it. Reaching out, she placed her hand on his forehead, feeling that he had taken on a small fever and breathing shallowly. Sweat had beaded along his face and he was unconscious.

"One of the whip attacks got him as he was protecting Mina," Al explained as he indicated to the girl who was crying nearby with her sister. She was Hugo's date.

"We need to get him help," Rose said as she looked around frantically.

The headmaster needed to get rid of the chimera and quickly. There were other students who needed help as well. She wondered why none of the other faculty members were assisting him. Madame Dubois was still guarding her students in a corner nearby and Professor Kozlov was still nowhere to be seen. Earlier in the night, she had seen Professor Deming and Professor Brewer, the Potions professor, as chaperones. Looking around, she saw that both of them were standing a few feet away from the battle, seemingly unable to proceed any further.

Straining a bit, Rose could see that there was a faint glowing line that circled around the headmaster and the chimera. Frowning, it appeared that he had placed a barrier but what annoyed her was that he had not made the barrier sooner to prevent anyone from getting hurt. It was incredibly irresponsible of him and if he had been smarter, her brother would not be lying on the floor in agony. Anger coursed through her and she really wanted to hex the man herself but she knew that it would not be wise. Despite his mistake, he was still the best shot they had at taking down the chimera. Of course, she wanted to know why they were even having to fight a chimera to begin with. The first task had been over a month ago, why was the damn thing still hanging around?

"How did this even happen?" Albus inquired as he looked at his cousin. He noticed that Scorpius was holding her hand but now was not the time to question it. Though, honestly, after their dance just moments ago, he wasn't that surprised.

"I have no idea. This chimera is stronger than the one we fought. The task was a while ago; I didn't think it would still be on the school grounds. It should have been sent back to wherever it was retrieved from," Rose replied as she squeezed Scorpius' hand tightly. She was so worried about her brother and everyone else. Her eyes widened as she recalled something. "Where's Lily?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen her since she was dancing with that Durmstrang guy. Come to think of it, he's missing too," he answered before burying his face in his hands. So much was going wrong and he was worried about his sister.

"Hey, we'll find your sister. I'm sure she's okay," Scorpius assured him. Despite their history, he knew how much family meant to them and the Potter girl had never caused him any harm.

Albus lowered his hands slowly as he peered over at Scorpius. His response was the last he would have expected from the man, even in the current situation. Something had definitely changed between Rose and the Slytherin and surprisingly, he was okay with this. The change seemed to be for the better and as he looked at their clasped hands once more, he even found himself thankful. Scorpius was protective over his cousin and from the several altercations he had experienced personally with the man, he had the skill to keep her safe.

"Yeah… thanks," he said gently before exhaling deeply. "How did this thing even get loose? Why is it still here?"

Rose shook her head as her cousin voiced her thoughts. All of it seemed very strange and obviously, incredibly dangerous. Then, there was still the reaper creature that was floating around somewhere. At this point, it would not have surprised her in the least bit if it too decided to join the fight. While she knew that the Triwizard Tournament was to blame for a lot of the strangeness that had been occurring since the year started, she couldn't help but feel that there was something more diabolical brewing in the background. It was an unsettling feeling.

Looking around, Rose tried to find some way to help the headmaster. She felt absolutely helpless just standing around and watching everyone get hurt. Her brother was wounded and there was nothing that she could do. It took everything in her to fight the tears that threaten to spill down her cheeks. Her and Scorpius had fought the beast once before, maybe they could do it again? Even as she thought this she knew that it was pure insanity. They had just barely survived the first time and now the thing was even more powerful. A gentle tug on her hand had her looking over at Scorpius.

"I have an idea," he said quietly, not wishing to alert Potter.

With as worried as Rose was now, the last thing he knew she wanted was for anyone else in her family to become involved and hurt. Having piqued her interest, Rose led Scorpius a few feet away from her brother and Albus. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that Albus went back to tending to Hugo so she knew that her brother was in good hands. The fact that the chimera was unable to use its weapon now was also a plus.

"What's your idea?" she inquired as she looked at him. Their hands never once separated and she found it be to be incredibly comforting.

"What the headmaster needs is a distraction. Obviously, he's now trying to prevent anyone from getting involved and getting hurt. Why he didn't do that sooner, I have no idea. Remember when we fought the chimera last time, how it would hunt down one of us blindly?" he explained, smiling a bit as the light of recognition flooded into Rose's eyes.

"Yes! The coin! If one of us had it, it would think of nothing else. We need to get that coin. If the chimera isn't concentrating on the headmaster then he can take it down more easily," Rose said excitedly.

While she knew that it was incredibly dangerous, it was the best option that they had. The headmaster was heavily distracted with keeping himself safe, taking down the chimera, and limiting the amount of casualties. If he only had to worry about two people instead of an entire hall, he would be able to work more effectively. However, she had figured that because he was the headmaster he would have had incredible power and been able to take down the beast single handedly. Either he wasn't as powerful as she had given him credit for or the chimera was that much more dangerous.

"Exactly. So I'll take the coin and distract the beast while you help the headmaster," he explained further, earning a disapproving look from Rose. Before she could respond, he placed a gentle finger against her lips. "I can handle this. Besides, we know you're the more skilled one of us."

While she knew that he was doing his best to distract her, Rose hated that it worked. He would never admit that she was better than him and she was pretty sure this was the second time he did. Granted, both times it was because he was trying to convince her to do, or not do, something. Obviously, she was being manipulated but she didn't care. It was still nice to hear it coming from his lips.

"Fine…" she grumbled behind his finger before pulling away. " _Accio coin!_ "

For a few tense moments nothing happened. Frowning, Rose looked around to see what the problem was. The coin was normally kept in the drawer in her end table in the room her and Scorpius shared. Even with it being closed, the intent and power of the spell should have retrieved it. As she was about to say something to Scorpius, she saw the coin whiz by the chimera and right into the palm of her hand.

With barely a moment to spare, Scorpius took the coin from Rose and booked it to the other side of the Hall. He was met with great resistance, as no one seemed to know what was going on and therefore didn't move. This changed, of course, when the chimera came hurtling through, causing students to scream and tumble to the side. Whatever it was about the coin that called out the beast, it wasted very little time. Scorpius just prayed that Rose and the headmaster worked fast because his back was in agony from his earlier injury.

The Great Hall felt much smaller than he knew it to be as he did his best to run along the outskirts and away from the chimera. It was faster than before which admittedly was terrifying. On more than one occasion, he felt the beast reach out for him as he just barely dodged. One of its hands was half the size of his body.

"A little help here!" he bellowed as he wondered what was taking the calvary so long to make their move.

As soon as the chimera found Scorpius as his target, Rose scurried over to the headmaster. The protection ring he had placed was gone and she was able to reach him just as Professor Brewer and Professor Deming did. Everyone started chattering at once, attempting to come up with a plan of action. Frustrated by this, Rose cast a silencing spell on the two professors, earning murderous glares. Yes, she was sure she was going to get in trouble for this later but she needed them to listen.

"I'm sorry but we don't have time for this! I have a plan and I need you to listen," Rose said quickly, all the while keeping Scorpius' running figure in her peripheral view.

"Go on, Miss Weasley," the Headmaster said gently but with a sense of urgency.

All of his students were still in danger, but now it was more particularly Mr. Malfoy. He was reckless indeed but perhaps it would work in their favor this time. He had seen the potential that Scorpius and Rose possessed. Independently they were quite talented but he knew that if they could learn to get along with one another then together they would be unstoppable. Whether they liked it or not, the tournament was going to force them to reconcile.

"Okay, obviously this thing is incredibly strong. It's giving you a hard time, sir. Its powers are increased which might be because it feels as though it is in mortal danger. Several more of its heads have been severed which is why there are almost double the amount. Someone has antagonized this beast to the fullest extent. The coin we retrieved from the first task has an almost mesmerizing component to it which is why the chimera sees nothing else but the coin and is fully consumed with retrieving it. In the task, we simply trapped it. I don't think, with it being as powerful as it is, that we can simply destroy it nor do I think we can simply trap it. We need to incapacitate it," she explained.

"Miss Weasley, we do not need a lesson currently. You said you have a plan now get to it," Professor Brewer demanded, having removed the silencing charm. Normally a good natured and patient man, the professor was demonstrating great annoyance.

"Calm down, Edgar, and let her finish," the headmaster commanded softly but with a certain amount of sternness before continuing.

"You are not wrong, Miss Weasley. Destroying this creature would cause catastrophic damage considering its current state. When this creature feels endangered as it does, it has a failsafe to destroy its enemy. Upon its death or shortly before, its body combusts and explodes. The blast radius is massive, easily over taking this room. That is why when you and Mr. Malfoy fought against it during the first task, it was in an open environment so that it did not feel confined and overly threatened. While the two of you did manage to inflict damage, it was not mortally and you figured out the true objective of the task was to capture it and retrieve the coin, not to kill it."

Rose felt all of the color drain from her face at the headmaster's explanation. Suddenly everything that he had been doing, made sense. The headmaster did not try to eradicate the creature immediately because doing so would have easily killed every student and faculty member in the hall. He had been trying to carefully calculate his plan of action. Unfortunately, this still allowed for the beast to attack with his whip. Even with the protection spell the headmaster had cast around himself and the beast, it would not have been enough to retain the blast entirely but he did not want anyone else risking themselves. The situation was far more dangerous than she had anticipated.

"Oh… well… okay so this is far more dangerous but my plan remains the same. We need to incapacitate the creature without killing it or destroying any more heads. The coin provides a great distraction and enables us to lead the chimera wherever we need it to be. Downside to this is, the beast is incredibly one track minded which puts everyone around it in danger.

"My plan is that we distract it enough so that we can place it into an extremely deep sleep. We have to get every single one of the heads focused so that we can cast the spell. So, all of us are going to be necessary to do this. Each one of us can get multiple heads focused on us and at the same time we cast the spell. It has to be done with great skill and precision because if the creature panics, it could explode," she explained, feeling incredibly nervous as she did so. It would be so easy for something to go wrong.

The headmaster nodded as he listened to her plan. It was the best shot that they had considering the circumstances. He did not wish for her to be in any further danger, but he knew her skill to be great. She was correct, it was going to take the four of them to get the creature focused and put to sleep. There was no doubt as to whether or not she had the capability to cast the spell. Looking to each of his colleagues, he nodded once more.

"Then that is what we shall do," he confirmed.

"Seriously! Some friggin' help here!" Scorpius yelled once more, finding himself becoming quickly exhausted as he continued to run and dodge the chimera.

By this point, his back was absolutely screaming in pain as well as his lungs. He had run out of air long ago and it felt like his chest might explode but he needed to keep running. The last thing he needed was to allow the beast to grab hold of him. Whenever he had the opportunity, he would look over to see what the group was doing but it appeared that they were still discussing Rose's plan amongst them. They needed to hurry the hell up before he ran the chimera to them and gave them no choice.

"We're coming!" Rose called out as she looked to the professors once more. Each of them brandished their wand and prepared to fight. "Bring it this way!"

Thankful that he could finally stop running, Scorpius dashed to the center of the hall where the headmaster and chimera had been fighting moments before. Sliding behind the group of people, he doubled over and panted heavily as he attempted to get some air into his lungs. Everything hurt and he prayed that this worked. While he wanted to help with whatever plan Rose had in store, he could barely stand let alone breathe.

"Thank you, Scorpius," Rose said gently as she looked back at him briefly before turning her full attention back to the beast in front of her.

The chimera had stopped before the group instead of ramming through them to get to Scorpius. It could sense that there was imminent danger. Each of its heads snapped and hissed at the people before it. It was beyond angry and it wanted the coin that Scorpius possessed. The glowing of the several eyes combined with the swaying of the heads, created a mesmerizing fire dance that was nearly impossible to look away.

Trying to ready herself, Rose raised her wand at the same time the professors did. It appeared that each of the heads were focused on someone, which was good. Would they really be able to complete this so easily? Just as she was starting to feel hope, it came crashing down with painful clarity as the beast seemed to recall that the people in front of it did not have what it wanted.

The banshee cry emitted from the heads once more, causing everyone to wince and fall to their knees, except for the headmaster. The man raised his wand to cast a spell but was promptly flung out of the way by one of the massive fists of the chimera. He went crashing into a table, smashing it to pieces. Rose felt her heart plummet as she didn't see the man get up. It felt like the scream was getting more intense and she found herself completely immobilized. If this continued, she was sure that her head was going to split in two but this was the least of her problems.

Horror filled her as she saw the chimera make its way to Scorpius once more. The Slytherin hadn't recovered yet from the screams and was currently kneeling on the floor much like everyone else was. Even if she could scream, he wouldn't be able to hear her. Tears pricked her eyes as she fought against the paralysis that had taken over her body from the screams. She needed to get to Scorpius somehow and help him. When the screaming finally stopped, it felt as though the whole world had slowed down and all she could hear was the deafening ring pulsating in her ears.

The scene that unfolded before her would haunt her for the rest of her life. As Scorpius stood up, attempting to recover from the screams, terror filled his stormy eyes as he noticed the chimera was standing not even a foot in front of him. Stumbling back, he tripped on debris from the shredded door to the Great Hall and landing backwards on the floor. All he could do was gaze up at the creature in horror.

Reaching down, the chimera picked Scorpius up by his head, its hand easily wrapping around it entirely. Scorpius reached up and attempted to pull the thing off of him, his feet kicking and body writing as he dangled several feet off the ground. Even with the inability to see his face, Rose could feel the terror and panic that she knew to be overtaking him because she was feeling exactly the same. She needed to save him somehow, someway. There was no way that she could lose him, not like this. Despair filled her so deeply that the tears finally spilled down her cheeks. No, she couldn't lose him. They had been through so much.

With the other hand, the chimera began ripping at Scorpius' clothing, looking for the coin. The heads were also biting and slashing in the attempt to locate the previous coin. Although muffled, Rose could hear the screams tearing from Scorpius' throat. It was absolutely horrific and she felt paralyzed. The effects still had not worn off. Was there no one who could do anything? The headmaster still had not moved and the two professors were just as incapacitated as she was.

The bright light of a spell ricocheted off the fist of the beast. Her eyes darting around, Rose found the owner of the spell. Hope filled her as she saw that it was Albus. While his spellcasting might not have been as good as herself or Scorpius, he was still skilled in his own right. This temporary distraction only angered the creature further. Not relinquishing its hold on Scorpius, the chimera charged at Albus, not giving him a moment to react. The beast was faster than something of its size should have been.

With no time to defend himself, Albus caught the full brunt of the attack. The chimera's free hand came smashing down against his back, immediately crushing him to the floor. Even from where she was, Rose could hear the sickening crack of bones breaking as her cousin was painfully laid into the floor, creating a small crater that cracked and splintered the marble around him. His dress robes were black so she didn't see any blood immediately. Then she saw a deep red pool of blood begin to seep out and form around him. Albus didn't move an inch and she felt her whole world tilt. No… this couldn't be happening. This was a nightmare. Screams pierced the air as the panicked students realized what had happened.

Satisfied that it would no longer be bothered, the chimera returned to the problem quite literally at hand. Scorpius was continuing to struggle, but Rose could see that he was weakening as he was suffocating. The beast's hand was still wrapped around his face. Rose could see blood dripping from his body from the multiple wounds he had sustained from the creature looking for the coin. His skin was starting to take on a sickeningly pale color, indicating that he was running out of air.

One of the heads launched forward and latched onto Scorpius' chest, right over his heart. There had been a breast pocket there and where he must have stashed the coin. The snake head tore and ripped back, shredding the robe and pocket. It had retrieved the coin but it had also gashed into Scorpius's chest. A chunk of flesh and muscle had been removed, causing blood to pour down the front of him. Now he was no longer moving. There was no indication if he had passed out from shock or was dead.

A scream finally erupted from Rose's throat as her paralysis dissipated. She was not sure if it was from the severe shock she was feeling or if the effects had worn off. How was this happening? How could she possibly be witnessing this? Scrambling to her feet, she shot off towards the chimera, flinging spells at it. Scorpius had to be alive. Albus had to be alive. She couldn't lose the ones she loved.

Just when she felt that her nightmare couldn't get any worse, she was showered in something slick and warm. Hands shaking, she brought them into her line of view and saw that it was blood. Her heart stopped for a solid minute and time slowed once more. All she could hear was her own breathing and the thumping of her heart in her throat. Slowly, she raised her eyes above her. She had reached the chimera with Scorpius dangling above her. He still was not moving and there was more blood falling from his body. She did not understand why until the chimera dropped him at her feet. What she found was not recognizable.

Bile rose to her mouth as she turned away to empty the contents of her stomach. Her whole body was convulsing as she tried to rid the image from her mind. This could not be happening. This had to be some freakish nightmare. Before her was the more than dead body of Scorpius Malfoy only now he was lacking a distinguishable head. The chimera had crushed it in its hand, sufficiently ending his life. What was left was nothing but a mess of flesh, bone, muscle and blood. Tears streamed down her face as she felt hysteria bubble in her chest.

"Miss Weasley!" A voice called out but she could not place where. It sounded like the headmaster but he still had not moved.

"Miss Weasley!" Again she heard it. She finally must have lost her mind. It was the only thing that made sense considering what she saw.

"ROSE!" A different voice called.

Suddenly everything was shaking vigorously as though someone had grabbed hold of her and would not let go. Blinking rapidly, her entire environment began to shift and change. There was a flash of a bright white light and suddenly things were as they had been before. Before her was the chimera, flashing its glowing blue eyes as the heads swayed and danced. To her left was Professor Deming and to her right was Professor Brewer. Both were gazing at her with concern but nowhere near as much as the headmaster. He had been the one shaking her and attempting to gather her attention. Another hand touched her shoulder, one that she would recognize anywhere.

Turning, she saw standing before her, a completely intact, Scorpius Malfoy. It had been his voice she heard last. Relief like she had never known before in her life, flooded over her so strongly it was painful. Tears fell down her cheeks as she began whimpering incoherently before she threw herself at him. Rose clung to him for dear life for a few moments before she reached up and began running her hands along his face, making sure that he was truly solid before her.

Scorpius had never seen Rose act like she was now. Something had terrified the hell out of her and for a moment it seemed like she went somewhere else. One moment she was standing in front of the beast, ready to face off and then the next she wasn't moving as though she was in a trance. He had recognized it immediately. When they had fought the chimera in the first task, she had been hypnotized briefly. It appeared that because it was so much stronger now, the effect worked faster and more effectively. Judging by how she was acting, she must have been caught in some sort of traumatic, false illusion.

"Shh… I'm here. I'm fine. Everything's okay," he whispered as he looked over at the professors who were waiting to see the outcome. He gave them a look that indicated that she was definitely not fine. "You'll have to fight without her."

The headmaster was greatly concerned for the welfare of Rose. He could see that she was not well and something had truly horrified the young woman. It was not uncommon for chimeras, especially those with snake attributes, to possess abilities of hypnotism. Mythologically speaking, they were said to link back to Medusa, who of course, could turn her enemies to stone if they looked at her. Throughout mythology, snakes were speculated to have mind-altering abilities. It appeared that Rose had seen something truly devastating. While he did not feel that the effects were permanent nor long lasting, she was going to need to recover regardless. That was something he would personally see to once the problem at hand was eradicated.

Nodding to Scorpius, he turned to his colleagues and indicated that they were to proceed. Thankfully, it appeared that Edgar and Melissa were immune to the hypnotism as they had been able to stare back at the beast without any effect. He, of course, had been immune to that as well as the paralysis scream so he had faith that as long as they worked quickly they would be successful.

Raising their wands, each professor lit the tip with a red light and began swaying it from side to side, much in the same manner as a snake charmer would. Almost immediately, the chimera forgot about the coin and the heads locked their gazes onto the red lights. They would sway with the movements of the wands. Once each of the heads were fully distracted, each professor shouted the incantation for the Bewitched Sleep spell. Each spell found its mark and within seconds the beast was fully incapacitated and collapsed to the ground.

Cheers erupted throughout the hall as students cheered for the obvious victory. The headmaster sighed heavily as the professors moved to begin assisting students who had been injured. There was going to be a lot of explaining that had to be done to both the students and their parents. He suspected he was going to be receiving a substantial amount of angry and threatening letters. Looking around, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary except for Professor Koslov was still missing. Someone had retained this beast in secret, aggravated it until it was powerful, and then let it loose upon the students. To what cause, he had no idea, but he would most certainly be discovering it within time. Gathering himself, he went about sending students to their dorms and cleaning up the hall.

Rose had not let go of Scorpius for even a moment. He could deal with it because he had not seen what she did. She didn't care if he protested because of being public or whatever stupid excuse he could come up with. This man meant so much to her, even more so than she had realized before, and she was not letting go until she could calm herself down and be assured that this wasn't a dream as well.

Gently, Scorpius led Rose away from the shuffle of students hurrying to get out of the hall. Now that there was no imminent danger, the tune had changed and everyone was chattering excitedly about what had just occurred. Of course there were still several students in shock or terrified and there were others who were worried because someone they were close to had been injured. He saw Potter follow after one of the professors who had Rose's injured brother. Exchanging a look with him, he silently assured him that he would take care of Rose while he took care of her brother.

Once the hall had filtered out, leaving only the headmaster who was cleaning up, then did he proceed to walk with Rose. Seeing as how she refused to let him go, not that he particularly minded, he kept her hand tightly in his. His back was still screaming but he would tend to himself later. Rose was his most prominent concern as of right now. The two of them walked in silence until they reached the room they were sharing. Once inside, he led Rose over to one of the couches before sitting down next to her. Another moment of silence passed before he spoke up.

"Rose… what happened?" he asked gently.

Once more it appeared that she was in a trance. Her eyes were glazed over and she was simply staring down at her hands without saying a word. It looked as though she was still trying to process whatever it was that she had seen. He knew it had to be terrible because Rose Weasley didn't spook easy. There was always a good cause for it if it did happen. Running his thumb across their clasped fingers, he silently and gently urged her to speak to him.

"It…. was so horrible…" she whispered as she continued looking down at her hands but not really seeing them.

The images just kept flashing in her mind's eye. Instead of fading, it felt as though they were becoming more and more vibrant, forever searing into her brain. No one should ever have to bear witness to such an event, even as a nightmare. It had her shaken to the core of her being. Hell, a beast like that should not have been allowed in the tournament.

"You were stuck in a trance of sorts, like when we first fought it. Except it looks like it created a nightmare or something for you. It had only been a few seconds," he explained. This succeeded in getting her to finally look at him. Her eyes were wide in surprise.

"A few seconds? It definitely felt much longer than that. It was several minutes and they were the worst minutes of my life," she said, choking back a sob. She didn't want to cry anymore.

"I know this is hard…. But you should talk about it… what did you see?" he urged once more. Half of him wanted to know for the sake of curiosity because she had been so terrified but the other half wanted to help her. He knew that if she could talk about it that it would help in her healing process.

"Scorpius… I… I lost you… and I lost Albus… in the most horrific way…" she whispered before proceeding to explain to him just exactly what she had seen. While it was hard and hurt almost as much as when she had seen it, she knew that she needed to. No detail was spared as she described the gruesome scene. By the end of her explanation, she was in tears again and clutching Scorpius' hands for dear life.

For a full minute Scorpius wasn't sure what to say. What she had seen was definitely traumatic and horrific. He wouldn't have wished that on anyone. If he had seen what happened to him, happen to her, well, he wasn't so sure that he would be as calm as she was. Granted, she was more than likely still in shock but he would have gone ballistic. Despite the terrible circumstances, he couldn't help but feel a flutter of warmth at her being so devastated at losing him. Honestly, it put a few things into perspective for him.

"I'm so sorry…. but, everything is okay now. I'm here, Potter is fine, and your brother is being looked after," he assured her as he continued to hold her hand. His free hand moved to gently rub her thigh comfortingly. Even after the disaster of the night, he still felt that she looked incredibly beautiful. Up until the damn chimera, he was having the night of his life if truth be told.

Rose jumped up suddenly after he mentioned this. Having still been attached to her, Scorpius stumbled a bit as he moved to stand with her before his arm was yanked out of its socket. Immediately, he looked around to see if there was any more danger. With a frown, he returned his gaze to her.

"My brother! Hugo! He was hurt! I need to go see him!" she exclaimed as she moved to leave the room. Once more, they were still connected and he refused to let her go. She was unable to go far.

"Whoa, calm down. Your brother is going to be fine. Potter is with him," he said gently as she returned his gaze with panicked eyes.

"But!" she countered as she tugged on his hand. Scorpius wanted to argue with her but the pleading look was his undoing.

"Fine, we'll go see him but only because I should probably get my back looked at," he said gently, conceding to her request. Instead of making her happy, it seemed to make her sadder.

"Oh Scorpius, I am so sorry! We should have gone right away to get you looked at," she apologized as she gingerly inspected him. He couldn't help but laugh at her motions which only earned him a confused look.

"You're always worried about someone else even when you have every right to be selfish and worry about yourself. You're one hell of a woman," he complimented before leaning in and kissing her forehead. She was endearing.

This finally succeeded in calming her down. A small, hint of a smile graced her lips as she gazed up at him. She wasn't sure where she would be without him. Instead of acting like a jerk, as he tended to default to, he was being incredibly compassionate and sincere. He was so much more than he and everyone else gave him credit for. If she was the only one who was able to see that, then so be it.

"Thank you, Scorpius," she said gently as she tugged on his hand once more and he began following.

"For what?"

"For being so kind," she explained simply as they headed toward the hospital wing.

Neither one of them had taken a moment to change but that was alright. She supposed the whole school was going to be wired until the wee hours of the morning. Hell, she wasn't even sure how she was going to sleep tonight, but that was something she was going to worry about when the time came. Not surprisingly, they were able to navigate the halls without any obstruction. All of the faculty members were busy cleaning up the incident and even the prefects had been banished to their rooms. She wasn't sure if this was really safe or not but she hoped that nothing else was lurking the halls. Her heart would not be able to handle a visit from the reaper right now.

Upon entering the wing, Rose could see that there were approximately ten students being looked after. Three of them, including her brother, were unconscious in the beds. The remainder were currently being looked after for less devastating injuries. Madame Rosaline was bustling about from student to student, acting alone. It was strange to call her "Madame" seeing as how she was maybe five years or so older than herself. She was the youngest faculty member at Hogwarts. Dressed in the traditional white garb of a medic witch, she offset this with her brilliantly colored hair. Every few weeks it was something different. Today it appeared to be a frighteningly bright shade of green that was reminiscent of something radioactive.

The medic witch gave pause when she saw the couple enter. Recognizing them immediately, she ushered Scorpius over to an empty bed to sit while she continued her rounds. Flashing Scorpius an apologetic look for being left alone, Rose made her way over to her brother's bed. It appeared that he had been one of the first ones tended to as he had a bandage wrapping that encircled his chest and across his shoulder. She was sure that Madame Rosaline had done a wonderful job of patching him up but it still made her incredibly anxious to see him like that. What were her parents going to say?

The thought was terrifying. Her father was going to blow a gasket and not even her mother was going to be able to calm him down. The tournament was bad enough and already testing her father's nerves. At this rate, he was going to pull her and Hugo from the school and be done with it all. Even with how much her mother loved attending Hogwarts, she had a feeling that she might agree with him after all of this. Despite everything that happened, Rose wanted to stay at Hogwarts and she wanted to finish the tournament. There were still two more tasks to go after all.

A moan pulled her from her thoughts as she realized that Hugo was waking up. Ever so gently, Rose sat down on the edge of the bed and took her brother's hand into her own. He felt clammy but she kept telling herself not to worry. Madame Rosaline knew what she was doing and there was no way she was going to let anything happen to her brother.

"Hey you," Rose said gently as she watched his eyes flutter open and focus on her.

"Hey… are you okay?" he asked hoarsely before attempting to clear his throat. A few tears formed at the edges of Rose's eyes, despite herself.

"Yeah, I'm fine. How about you? Are you still in a lot of pain?" she inquired. Hugo shook his head gently from side to side, indicating that he was not in pain.

"Nothing major….. just kinda sore… and exhausted," he said before yawning slowly. "Is Albus alright? What about Mina and Jess? Lily?"

It took Rose a moment to understand who he was referring to. She figured it had to be his and Albus' dates. They had never been properly introduced so she didn't know their names. The last part of the night was becoming such a blur to her. While she recalled her nightmare so vividly, she barely remembered leaving the hall and heading to her room.

"They're fine as far as I know. They're not in here so that's a good thing. I'll bet they went back to their common room like everyone was supposed to. Albus probably just stepped out for a moment. He left with you. Lily is in her common room," she replied as she reached over to brush some of his fiery hair off his forehead. This felt like her fault somehow. She should have done something sooner to help. It also bothered her that she was lying about Lily. She had no idea where the girl had gone but she prayed that she was in the common room.

"Good… I'm glad… is Malfoy okay? You're attached to him… and you two were in front of the doors when they exploded," he inquired.

While he still wasn't overly fond of the man, he knew that his sister was. Then there was the fact that Malfoy had demonstrated that he could be different, at least around Rose. Most of the school had seen how the two of them danced right before the chimera made its entrance. He wished that it was someone else, but he was glad that his sister was seemingly happy.

"He's getting looked at now. Some of the shrapnel from the doors had gotten him. Thanks for asking, I know you don't like him," she said sincerely before smiling at her brother. She was relieved that he was okay. In fact, it seemed like he was going to make a speedy recovery.

"Maybe something will have knocked loose in his head and he won't be a jerk anymore," he said with a bit of a smirk, causing Rose to roll her eyes at him. She didn't want him to know what she really felt at the mentioning of Scorpius' head. That imagery was never going to disappear and it made her heart ache in pain.

"I can see that you're more than fine," she grumbled but her smile was still in place. "You should get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow." With that she stood up and kissed his forehead.

"Yeah, okay. Take care of yourself," Hugo said gently before yawning once more and closing his eyes.

As his sister left to rejoin Malfoy, he peeked his eyes open just a bit and observed them a moment. There was genuine concern in both of their demeanors for one another. If this event brought them closer, he supposed it was a good thing but if Malfoy hurt her in any way, he was going to suffer. With that happy thought in mind, he trailed off to sleep.

"So… what's the verdict?" Rose inquired as she looked at Scorpius' now bandaged back. He was no longer wearing his undershirt but he kept his robes over his shoulders.

"I won't die but maybe it will be enough to get out of the holiday homework," he said with a grin as he gazed at the beauty before him.

Even with hell having practically rained down upon them, Scorpius found Rose to still be exceptionally exquisite. Her beautiful red hair that had been done up so nicely was wild and mane-like around her porcelain face. The dress robes she was wearing had been torn in a few places from the scuffle and was covered in dust, but he had never seen a more beautiful woman. It made the injuries he sustained protecting her even more worth it.

Rose couldn't deny the way that Scorpius was looking at her. It made her stomach flutter and her heart race faster. She knew that desiring him was the furthest thing she should be thinking about but she couldn't help herself. Apparently neither could he. Admittedly, it was nice to feel this way. She felt desirable around him even when she knew that she was the furthest thing possible. For a hint of a moment, she considered giving in, but she knew better than that. She was smarter and far more rational. Besides, there was nothing official between them and she refused to just be someone he slept with. It felt like there was much more between them but if he couldn't consider them official then she wasn't going to give him that part of her.

"Well, if you're not dying, I suppose we can go then," she said gently as she offered her hand to him. Rose was surprised when he took it and didn't let go. They weren't in danger anymore and there were witnesses. The fact that he didn't seem to care gave her hope.

Scorpius adjusted his robes so they would not fall off his shoulders before they began their journey back to their room. The nurse had done the trick and he was no longer in pain but he needed to keep the bandage in place until at least the morning when the mending spell would finish fixing him up. It was hard to believe how this night had turned out. This should have counted as the second task in his opinion. Suddenly, Rose stopped in the middle of the corridor.

"I have to go find Lily. She was nowhere to be found when the chimera exploded into the hall. I need to make sure she's okay," she stated before turning to head in the direction of the Ravenclaw tower. Having expected Scorpius to continue back to the room, she was surprised when he moved to follow her.

"Lead the way then. You're crazy if you think I'm letting you out of my sight," he declared, flushing ever so slightly when he saw that Rose was grinning widely. She said nothing but silently she was thanking him.

Once more the duo was able to navigate the halls without being stopped. Scorpius was mildly concerned at this point. The fact that they could walk so effortlessly without being caught really had him questioning the security of the school. As if the chimera wasn't already making him question it. That was a mystery all in its own but something he would have to contemplate another time. Exhaustion was slowly starting to sink in but he wanted to make sure that Rose achieved everything she set out to do before he turned in. With the way the day was going and her luck, anything could happen.

By the time they reached the Ravenclaw tower, Scorpius was cursing the Ravenclaws and their damned towers. The hospital wing was on the second floor so heading to a tower made him incredibly exhausted. This was why he preferred being in the dungeons. His body already ached from the night's events but now he was trekking along the halls of the school to find a girl who was more than likely asleep by now. If this didn't mean so much to Rose he would have said to hell with it.

Rose knew that Scorpius was exhausted and probably cranky at this point but she was thankful that he had said nothing. Truth be told, she didn't want to be alone right now. Her family was scattered everywhere and she felt like a mother hen who needed to know where all her babies were in order to sleep better. Albus was fine and Hugo was on his way to recovery. The fact that she hadn't seen Lily at all since she had left with Alek made her the most nervous.

Even in her disheveled state of mind, she was able to solve the riddle and slide into the common room with Scorpius in tow. It was very late by this point. There were still a few students sitting around in the room, chatting about the dance but a majority of them had retired to their dorms. She was sure that's where most of the party still was but the common room was quiet. At first glance, she didn't see Lily and figured she must have retired to her dorm as well.

As she headed towards the dorms, she looked around once more. It was then she recalled the alcove that sat next to the entrance to the common room. There was a cushion set inside of it with shelves that extended all the way to the ceiling that were lined with books. It was a nice hide-away when trying to study and because it was next to the common room entrance, it was often overlooked unless someone was leaving. Inside, she could see that there was a couple and one of them was wearing a familiar green dress.

Alek and Lily were indeed inside the alcove and looking rather intimate. Rose was not sure what to think or feel. There were so many emotions passing through her. How long had they been there? Did they end up here after the attack? If so, why hadn't she gone to see Hugo? What if they had been up here the whole time and had no idea what was going on? Should she be mad because that meant that Lily avoided trouble? It also meant that she was being sneaky and the idea of her sexing up with this guy had her over-protective, sister-like senses going off.

Needing answers, Rose approached the couple and cleared her throat. The noise had the two breaking apart, Lily more quickly than Alek. While he appeared respectful, she could see in his eyes that he was annoyed. It irked her but she said nothing as she turned her attention to her cousin who was quickly trying to fix herself. As if she could possibly make what she was doing look any more obvious.

"Rose! Wh-what are you doing here?" Lily asked as she moved a bit away from Alek but not much.

"Last time I checked, I was a Ravenclaw too. How long have you two been up here?" she asked as she crossed her arms. Lily lost her abashed demeanor when she saw Rose become stern. It had her bristling and annoyed.

"That's really none of your business," she growled.

"Actually it is. I'm Head Girl so if you didn't come up here when everyone else did that meant you snuck out during the ball," she said with great annoyance. She was getting really tired of Lily's attitude lately.

"Oh is that how it's going to be? Should I start calling you Miss Weasley now too? Or Head Girl Weasley? And if you're so perfect, why is a _Slytherin_ ,here?" Lily sneered, acting as though the word tasted disgusting.

Scorpius was stunned by the Potter girl's reaction to Rose. This was something he would have expected out of her brother towards himself but certainly not Rose. In fact, everyone seemed to treat Rose with respect. Maybe her and Hugo would squabble but that was normal. His eyes went over to Alek, who outwardly appeared sincere but he could tell that secretly he was enjoying the discord. The moment he realized that Scorpius was looking over, it disappeared. It took everything in his will power to not punch the guy and yell at the Potter girl for the disrespect. After everything Rose had just been through, she deserved more.

"God dammit, Lily, I don't know what the hell has gotten into you lately but it's horrible! Obviously you must have snuck out before the ball ended otherwise you would have known what happened. You're so damned wrapped up in yourself you probably didn't even notice the commotion in the common room," Rose snarled, her anger spiking quickly.

"Hey… look, I'm sorry. I asked her if she vanted to show me around the castle seeing as how the halls vould be empty. Ve meant to return quickly," Alek spoke up.

"Oh I'm sure that's exactly what you wanted," Scorpius sneered at the man. He wouldn't fight with the Potter girl but this guy was a different story. He knew exactly what the bastard wanted and the girl was too naïve and love-struck to see the obvious.

"Shut the hell up, Malfoy," Lily barked.

"Vhat happen then that is so important?" Alek asked as he turned his attention to Rose. He just wanted the two to leave. He received a death glare from Rose but she decided on answering him.

"The chimera from the first task was let loose in the Great Hall, stronger than before, and injured a lot of students. One of which was Hugo," Rose explained, never taking her gaze off Lily. This snapped her out of whatever anger trance she had been in. She gave pause before focusing on Rose.

"Wh-what? Hugo? Is he okay?" she asked quickly. Rose was starting to think her cousin was bi-polar with all these quick snaps of emotion.

"He's gonna be fine. You can see him tomorrow. I came up here to check on you seeing as how I didn't see you during the last half of the night. Clearly you're fine," she said a bit venomously before looking to Alek. "You need to leave and return to the Slytherin common room where the rest of your school is staying."

"I'll make sure he gets there. I'm a _Slytherin_ prefect after all," he said with a smirk, mimicking how the Potter girl had said the word.

Lily wanted to protest but she knew that she would not get anywhere with it. Sighing heavily, she stood up and kissed Alek quickly, not wishing to cause any further trouble. She was more than annoyed but apparently she had missed a great deal. Now she was overcome with the desire to see Hugo but with as angry as Rose was, she knew that wasn't wise. The last time she had spoken to Hugo they had been fighting. Regret settled heavy in her chest but she did not show it.

Now that she got a better look at Rose and Malfoy, she could see that something serious had occurred. Rose's beautiful dress was torn in places and she was covered head to toe in dust. Even Malfoy didn't look all the great. He was missing his shirt entirely with a wrapping that came around his front. She wasn't sure if the damage was in the front or the back from her current vantage point. He had various cuts across his face and his hair was out of order. Lily's heart dropped into her stomach as she realized just how bad it was.

With little other choice but to do what he was told, Alek walked over to Scorpius to indicate that he was ready to leave. Scorpius quietly told Rose he would meet up with her later before taking his leave with the Durmstrang in tow. Sighing gently, Rose shook her head from side to side as the night began taking its toll on her once again. What she needed was a good shower and a soft bed.

"Is Albus okay?" Lily asked softly, feeling quite humbled.

Rose looked over to her and saw that the young girl's head was bowed and staring down at her feet. Clearly she felt bad, as she should, but Rose couldn't help but want to comfort her. She pulled Lily into her arms and hugged her gently, lightly caressing her hair.

"Yeah he's fine. He's looking after Hugo right now until the nurse makes him leave. You should get some sleep. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be an excitable day," she said gently, earning a brief nod from her cousin.

After saying their good-byes and good-nights, Rose left the Ravenclaw tower and headed back to her room. The halls felt painfully quiet, like a mausoleum. Even though there was no one around, she could feel the pain and sorrow of the night. Her chest felt heavy with unease as she walked along. This was the first time she had been alone with her thoughts since everything occurred. She hadn't even truly realized how comforting Scorpius' presence was even if he wasn't saying or doing anything. The nightmare had just occurred hours before and aside from explaining what happened to Scorpius, she hadn't fully processed it.

The logical side of her kept screaming that it was all fake, just an illusion to disorientate her. The emotional side of her, was still waiting for it to come true and to lose the people who meant so much to her. As much as she would have loved to forget everything that happened, she couldn't. The images haunted her and she wondered if they would ever disappear. She was still in her daze when she entered her room.

Scorpius stepped out of the shower just as Rose entered the room. He was wearing a towel low on his hips and he was drying his hair with another towel. It didn't take him very long to get back to the room. Neither him nor Alek said a word to one another as he escorted him to the Slytherin common room. As soon as he watched him enter he took his own leave and returned to this room. Desperately in need of a shower, he had hopped in, figuring he would be finished before Rose returned. He just figured that she would have stayed a bit longer with her cousin.

"Hey, you're back," he stated obviously to pull her out of her thoughts. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what she had been thinking about. Discarding the towel he was drying his hair with, he walked over to her. Gently he reached out to finger her chin and tilt it upwards. "There are more pleasant things you could be thinking about."

Rose felt her face explode into heat as she realized her current situation. A more than delectable looking Scorpius was standing within close proximity of her and wearing practically nothing. This succeeded in pulling her from her hellish thoughts. His touch was gentle but firm, sending shivers along her body. Despite his reputation with women, she felt comfortable and secure with him. He would never make her do anything she didn't want to. The problem was, there was so much she wanted to do.

"As tempting as you are, I am also in need of a shower," she said gently, trying to cool herself off. At least, that's what her plan was until Scorpius started to pout. She almost said to hell with the shower.

"Well damn… I should have waited. Then we could have showered together," he said with a grin which only widened further as he saw the red on Rose's face creep down her neck.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah keep it in your pants," she mumbled, earning a hearty laugh from the man.

"Darling, if you haven't noticed, I'm not wearing pants," he said with a snicker. Rose couldn't help eye him from head to toe. No, he definitely was not wearing pants.

The attention she was giving him only seemed to thrill him as he moved impossibly closer to her, pulling her into his arms. Even with the gentle scent of his body wash, Rose could still smell his unique, woody scent. It was intoxicating and so very comforting all at once. She wasn't sure if she wanted to jump him or just snuggle in his arms. Both were both very promising prospects. So for right now, she just settled on resting her head against his bare chest.

Scorpius swallowed hard at the sensation of having her in his arms while he was wearing very little. He knew that he should not be having the thoughts that he was but with her, it was almost impossible. When she laid her head on his chest, his body calmed immediately. What she needed was comfort, not someone wanting to take her to bed. Granted he would never force her to, but that didn't keep him from desiring her.

"So… I have a question for you. It's been buggin' me," Scorpius said.

"Hm… what's that?" she asked as she looked up at him.

"With what you are wearing now, where in the hell did you keep your wand?" he asked with wide eyes. It took Rose a moment to recall what he was talking about but she began laughing once she did. She remembered the look on his face when she withdrew it.

"Oh, that. I'm always prepared," she said as she leaned down to lift the hem of her dress to reveal a holster that was wrapped around her thigh. It didn't even occur to her how revealing she was being. Once more Scorpius gave her a wide-eyed look but then it was followed by his characteristic smirk. This woman was full of surprises.

"Interesting, thanks for the view," he said with a wink before laughing as she smacked him in the chest. It was nice to see her fiery spirit back.

"Oh shut it you," she grumbled before he brought her into his arms once more and began lightly petting her hair. Once more she rest her cheek against his chest.

"Hey, you should go take that shower now, so you can lay down," he offered.

The low rumble of his voice in his chest, against her cheek was incredibly soothing. Honestly, the last thing she wanted to do right now was take a shower but she knew that she needed to. She looked and felt awful but being in his arms, so close to him was the closest she was going to get to heaven.

Begrudgingly, she pulled away and agreed before retrieving her clothes for the night and disappearing to take a shower. The room was still warm from when Scorpius used it and the mirror was fogged up. It was for the best as Rose really didn't want to see herself now. With a sigh, she removed her dress which had looked so beautiful just hours before. It really was a shame. She finished removing her garments and jewelry before hopping into the shower. Not wishing to be alone with her thoughts again, she finished quickly.

Once she emerged and dressed, she found that Scorpius was dozing on his bed with his arms behind his head. He had at least managed to put on pajama pants but that was about it. Lightly shaking her head, she walked over to the bed and attempted to cover him up. As immaculate as he seemed, he was a typical male and had not made his bed so he was not laying on the blanket. However, as soon as she moved to do so, he woke up and grabbed her wrist, a frown forming on his face.

"What are you wearing?" he grumbled, causing Rose to look down at herself.

It was the same outfit she normally wore at night. The pajamas were blue with black ravens on it. She supposed what he complaining about was the fact that it was a long sleeved, loose button up with pants. He was probably used to his women dressing down more than what she did or wearing nothing at all. The thought had her more than little annoyed. She was not sure if it was the thought of him being with another woman or because he had a problem with how she dressed.

"They're pajamas, is that a problem?" she mumbled irritably. Scorpius sat up, noticing that he was upsetting her. His grasp on her wrist remained.

"I just can't imagine that they're that comfortable. It can get warm you know," he explained. "But if that's what makes you happy, that's what makes you happy."

He wasn't entirely wrong. She liked the outfit for security purposes as it was a gift from her parents. Whenever she was in need of comfort, she would wear them. Tonight seemed like the best night for that but she didn't want to admit that to him. It seemed rather childish but she couldn't help it. However, he was not wrong in the fact that it did make her overly warm some nights.

"Yeah…. Maybe a bit…" she said gently as she looked away, feeling really silly. Gently, Scorpius tugged her wrist until she sat down on the bed.

"Hey… what's wrong? I didn't mean to upset you… for once," he admitted as he looked at her. With her free hand, Rose was aimlessly picking at one of the buttons on her top.

"I don't… I mean… I'm not very good…. At being feminine," she mumbled before blushing heavily. This was not the sort of conversation she wanted to be having with him. He has made fun of her for less.

"Hey, that's not true. You just don't get caught up in all the silly things that most girls our age do. You have more important things to worry about," he assured her. While it was true that Rose was not the most feminine girl that didn't make her any less attractive. She was absolutely stunning to him. It was a shame he had been too busy being a jerk to notice it before now.

Rose eyed him suspiciously, wondering why he was saying the things that he was. It was common knowledge the kind of women that he chased after. They were all exceedingly gorgeous and some of them were incredibly smart. Most of them were pureblooded witches who came from important families. Rose was the furthest away from his type that she could get, but for the moment, she could believe him. It was easier than arguing.

"Even if you don't mean it, thanks, Scorpius," she said gently as she offered him a smile. He reached out and gently cupped her cheek, lightly caressing with his thumb.

"But I do mean it," he whispered sincerely, gazing directly into her eyes.

As it seemed to be the norm around him, Rose found her heart racing and her cheeks heating up. She doubted that she would ever feel normal about him. Given what happened tonight, she felt especially attached to him. He had come to mean a great deal to her and she knew that she meant something to him. Even if it wasn't the same it was still something. She just wished that they were more official.

While it was easy for him to act like they were nothing, it was becoming increasingly difficult for her. It felt like she was living a double life: one life was what the public saw and one life was seen only in private. She supposed that he was used to living like that as most aristocrats were, but she wanted him to break free from that mold. He didn't know it, but he would be much happier that way. Before she indulged in her desire, she smiled and pulled back.

"So you know…. I technically kept up with you during that dance," she reminded him, earning a confused look before he recalled the bet. Laughing gently, he shook his head.

"So, what do you want? You have one hour for me to do whatever you want," he said with a grin.

This was Rose Weasely, how bad could it be?


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **A/N: Woo hoo! 100 Reviews! Thanks guys! I wouldn't be anywhere without my amazing readers. Seriously, guys, you're fantastic! Let's keep going! I just wanna hear from you guys. :D Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 18*~**

"One hour huh?" Rose mused gently as she placed a finger to her chin thoughtfully.

One solid hour of Scorpius Malfoy doing whatever she wanted, without question, was a great power to have indeed. There were tons of things she wanted him to do; not all of which were exactly appropriate. This was something that was going to require a good deal of thinking. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity after all and she did not want to waste it.

As Scorpius watched her ponder, he found himself feeling a bit nervous at what she could suggest. This was Rose, so he didn't feel that it would be something too detrimental, but there was always the possibility that she could do something embarrassing for all of the years he tormented her. Then there was the possibility that it could be something incredibly dull and lecture based. Despite the fact that they were on holiday right now, did not mean that they didn't have homework.

"Hm… I'll need to think this over carefully. Sometime tomorrow we'll start the hour," Rose said after a moment, smiling at Scorpius.

Scorpius wasn't sure if he was disappointed or relieved at her response. He wanted to know now what she was thinking but it had also been an incredibly long day. The night was more devastating for her than almost anyone else. Not to mention, he was feeling pretty exhausted too.

"Yeah, okay, but if you take too long my offer is going to expire," he teased. Rose's eyes widened in horror at the thought before she started jabbing at his chest.

"Don't you dare! I won fair and square and you didn't say which hour," she growled, earning a chuckle from the man in front of her.

Saying nothing, Scorpius wrapped his arms around Rose and pulled her down to the bed so that she was laying with him. Her front was pressed to his with her hands between them as she had been poking him. The sudden change in position, calmed the woman for a moment as she looked up to gaze at him. There was a teasing, playful smile on his lips and she could not help but return it. Why couldn't he be like this all the time? Sighing contently, Rose found herself snuggling against him, sliding her knee between his so that she could be closer.

Having not expected her to move closer, Scorpius' breath hitched at feeling her curves so lusciously pressed against his body. Damn, he had just calmed his body down when she had to go revving it up again. If her knee moved any further upwards, it would brush against the part of him that really wanted to show her attention. Trying to think of anything else but Rose naked beneath him, he found himself failing miserably.

"Can I stay here, for the night?" Rose whispered softly, giving Scorpius pause. She sounded so scared and small. It broke his heart immediately. He hated seeing her this vulnerable. This year had shown her vulnerability to him more times than he would have liked. Someone so strong didn't deserve to feel so weak even if it was understandable. It made him want to cause serious damage to everything and anything that ever made her feel that way.

"Of course you can," he said soothingly.

He didn't know what the two of them were, but it was obvious that they cared greatly for one another. All he wanted to do was protect her and see her smile. Moving for just a moment, he pulled the blankets over the both of them and held her close to him. He could feel her warm breath against his throat and chest as she leaned in close once more.

Smiling to himself, he tilted his head down so that his cheek was resting against the top of her head. Sure there had been tons of times he found himself sleeping in the same bed as a woman but it never felt like this. This felt secure and warm. It wasn't just two people coexisting in the same space. They were both hyper aware of one another but comforted by the presence.

Scorpius found himself not wanting to give this feeling up for anything in the world. In fact, he wanted this to last the rest of his life. To wake up next to Rose, every day, would definitely start the day off gloriously. The thought actually startled him. There had been no woman in his life that he had ever felt that way with. He was more than glad to be rid of them the next day but with Rose… he wanted her every day. She was the one woman he was the least intimate with but the most comfortable. He supposed that was how things were supposed to be. No, he couldn't lose her to anyone or anything.

Rose's body relaxed fully into his, indicating that she had fallen asleep. It was surprising and not that she had fallen out so quickly, given the emotional anguish she had experienced. He found his own body relaxing and his eye lids growing heavy. The bed felt so warm and his senses were permeated with Rose's spicy scent. No, nothing was better than this. After placing a feather light kiss to her forehead, Scorpius found himself joining her in sleep.

Scorpius wasn't sure how long he had been sleeping when a scream woke up him. Bolting upright, he looked around to find the source of the sound. Disoriented from sleep but running on adrenaline alone, he stumbled out of bed, tripping as the blankets had become wound around his legs. He cursed in great annoyance as he picked himself up and raced into the sitting room.

Sitting in one of the chairs, was Rose, but she didn't appear to be awake. In fact, she was thrashing about, seemingly trapped in a nightmare. He had no idea what in the bloody hell she was doing out here as he recalled falling asleep with her. Rubbing his face to wake up a bit more, he hurried over to her, stumbling over a book on the floor. He nearly tumbled into the chair she was sleeping in, but caught himself on the arms before he did. Curses fell from his mouth at yet again nearly being killed in a time span of five minutes. Forget chimeras, apparently his own damn feet were more dangerous. Gathering himself, he began shaking Rose.

"Rose! Rose wake up!" he yelled, trying to get her to hear him over her screaming. His yelling seemed to startle her, so she was no longer screaming but she was still asleep, whimpering. The sight was killing him which only made him that more determined to wake her up.

"Rose, come on baby, wake up," he said softly. Relief washed over him when her blue eyes opened to look at him. He saw both relief and terror in those crystalline orbs. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she had been dreaming about.

"S-Scorpius?" she stammered as the tears began falling down her cheeks.

"Shh… it's okay… you were just having a nightmare. You're safe and I'm safe," he soothed as he collected her out of the chair and into his arms.

They stood there for a moment as he allowed her to sob into his chest. His arms remained securely around her as he leaned his cheek against the top of her head. His poor Rose couldn't even find solace in sleep. It made him want to destroy that chimera until he was sure it wouldn't come back to harm either one of them again. This was turning into the year from hell, that was for sure. Once Rose's sobs subsided, he tilted her face upwards so that he could wipe away her tears.

"Rose… what were you doing out of bed?" he inquired, finding it strange that she had decided to do some reading in the middle of the night. That was his guess seeing as how her book on the floor nearly killed him.

"I… I woke up but not from a nightmare… and couldn't fall back asleep. I figured reading would help make me sleepy. Apparently… it worked too well because I fell asleep in the chair," she explained before sighing. Scorpius was definitely going to think she was a loony case.

"You could have woken me up. I would have stayed up with you," Scorpius admitted as he kept his arms around her. Rose's cheeks turned pink at his thoughtful gesture.

"I… didn't want to bother you…. You probably already think I'm mental enough as it is," she said gently as she looked down, feeling quite embarrassed.

Never had she ever felt so insecure about herself as she did with Scorpius. Even when he used to pick on her, she always felt so sure of herself. Now that he was being kind, she felt herself always worrying about herself and if she was good enough or if she was doing something wrong. It was frustrating really. Now that she had his attention she wanted to make sure she didn't do anything to drive it away.

"Well yes, you are mental. How anyone could stay cooped up in the library for hours at a time and enjoy it has to be mental," he said with a playful grin. "But having a nightmare because of something terrible happening, is to be expected. If you didn't, then I might think we need to send you to St. Mungo's." His playful smile remained but his tone had become softer.

Her already frazzled emotions were wreaking havoc at his words. Once more she found herself crying into his chest, unable to form coherent words. Scorpius's arms stayed around her but he was utterly confused and terrified that he had done something wrong. The last thing he wanted to do was make her cry. She was doing enough of that without his help.

"W-wait, I'm sorry! I was just kidding, please don't cry!" Scorpius exclaimed in panic. Merlin, he was terrible at these sort of things. "You can punch me if that will make you feel better."

As if he could feel any more confused, Rose's sobs were now mixed with laughter. Okay, maybe he had been wrong about her not being mental. Maybe she had finally cracked from the chimera event. The thought was truly upsetting to be honest. He didn't want any damage to come to the woman in his arms, physical or mental.

"Y-You're fine… I'm crying because… I'm happy… and laughing because you amuse me," Rose explained as her sobs subsided with her laughter. She wiped her eyes of the newfound tears before she looked up at him. "Why do you have to be so damned perfect?"

Scorpius couldn't have been anymore shocked if she had slugged him. Those were the last words he ever expected to hear out of her mouth. While he acted like it, he was the furthest from perfect. Hell, he had never been perfect to her in all of the years they had known one another. It was the greatest compliment he could have ever received but he was unworthy of it.

"That's…. kind of you to say… but we both know I'm the furthest from perfect," he said with a wry smile as he attempted to smooth down some of her bushy, sleep-ridden hair. It was to no avail.

"I suppose technically speaking, no one is perfect, but you are perfect to me, when you're like this. I like the real you, the you that is demonstrated when no one is watching," Rose explained. Scorpius smiled softly but there was sadness in his eyes.

"I like to think… I'm getting better about that… I want to be as you see me," he admitted softly before looking away awkwardly. She made him want to be a better person. He wanted to see himself as she did.

"You definitely are getting better," she assured him as she reached up to cup his face and direct it so that he was looking at her. "That dance…. was the single most amazing moment of my life. It tops any achievement I have acquired."

Reaching up, Scorpius lightly placed his hands over hers and leaned into her touch. Her words were thrilling and for her to say that was the best moment, compared to everything she had ever done, was an honor beyond words. Before him was a well-accomplished witch at such a young age. She was easily the top student in all of the years, not just theirs and he knew that she was going to move on to do amazing things.

"I appreciate you giving me that honor. Now… I have no idea what time it is, but I have a feeling it is still late," he chided gently as he moved their hands from his face but kept hers in his still.

"Yeah… I suppose I could try that again… can I sleep with you again?" she asked, earning a smirk from Scorpius.

"Well, if you don't want to sleep I'm sure we can find more intimate ways to stay awake," he said playfully, earning a smack to his chest. He had been half hoping that maybe she would take him up on the offer.

"You're terrible, you know that?" she said with a shake of her head as she made her way back over to his bed, which had somehow become their bed at this point. Surely she wasn't going to make a habit of this, was she?

"Yeah, but I can live with myself," he responded as he followed her.

Once again, the two returned to the bed to sleep. This time, Rose slept with her back against Scorpius's chest as he wrapped an arm across her middle. She could feel his breath against her neck as he nuzzled her skin. Almost immediately, she felt goosebumps erupt along her skin, having not been quite aware just how sensitive a spot that was. She wasn't sure if he knew what he was doing to her, but he was behaving regardless.

Scorpus would never get over just how wonderful this woman felt against him. She fit perfectly as though she had been made just for him. It was a sappy thought, but it was his thought that no one needed to know about. Well, maybe except for Rose. She seemed to be the exception to a lot of things with him. With that notion in mind, sleep took him once more.

The morning came faster than Scorpius would have liked. They must have fallen asleep closer to dawn than he would have liked. Considering that they were on holiday, he had no idea why Rose had an alarm blaring. The damned woman would be the only one to wake up early to do some sort of studying. Reaching for his wand that he kept beneath his pillow, he silenced the alarm before groaning.

Tucking his wand away, he looked down at Rose who, thankfully, was still asleep with her back to him and had not appeared to have been plagued by another nightmare. What he did not count on was the exposed skin of her shoulder peeking out from beneath the covers. Frowning, he recalled her having gone back to sleep in her full pajama wear. Curiosity getting the better of him, he gently tugged the blankets down to her waist and was disappointed to find that she was still wearing clothing. It was a tanktop but it was still clothing. He supposed he would take what he could get.

Leaning over, he placed feather light kisses on said bare shoulder and snaked another arm around her middle to pull her flush against his body. It did very little in stirring his sleeping beauty but she did mumble incoherently before settling more firmly against him. Scorpius bit his lip viciously as her arse was pressed firmly against an already hardened part of himself. Damn, it was going to take every ounce of his self-esteem not to jump her.

"Hey… Rose. Your alarm went off," he whispered in her ear before trailing kisses down and along her neck and back to her shoulder.

To hell with it, he figured he would do as much as he could get away with. More incoherent noises came from the red head but little else. Frowning, Scorpius found that this was not going to be as fun as he imagined if he couldn't get a response. His hands itched to begin fully exploring her body but even he knew that would be crossing the line seeing as how she wasn't coherent to tell him to stop. He might be an arse but he would never force himself on anyone.

"Come on, wake up," Scorpius said a bit more firmly, feeling defeated. This time he began shaking her shoulder a bit and this seemed to succeed in finally waking her up.

"Mh… Scorpius?" she mumbled as she shifted so that she was laying on her back and able to look at him through sleepy eyes. Her hair was a mess, even more so than usual, but it fanned out behind her and across his pillows. He had envisioned many fantasies with her laying as she was, begging for him to please her. For a moment, his mind went elsewhere, unable to contain himself.

The last time Rose slept this hard, it had been right after the first task. Though she was not sure if that was sleeping or just being briefly comatose for several hours. Sometime in the middle of the night, she had indeed overheated from her pajamas and Scorpius' additional body heat. Figuring she would be up before he was, she had removed the top, revealing her tank top that she typically wore underneath everything. She didn't even hear her alarm when it went off. It was Scorpius' voice that had woken her. As she began to wake up more, she realized that he was looking at her oddly, as though not really seeing her.

"Scorpius? You okay?" she called out once more as she reached up to tap his nose. This brought him back from wherever he had gone.

"Hm? Yeah, just thinking. Looks like you took my advice," he said with a grin as he rolled over so that she was pinned beneath him. She could kick him off if she wanted. He wasn't by any means forcing her down but he wanted this vantage point. It was how so many of his fantasies started.

Scorpius wasn't the only one being plagued by fantasies as he moved. Rose recalled her rather vivid and intimate dream that she had recently where the man before her was positioned as he was. Her body really did not want him to move but to continue with the desire she saw in his eyes.

It was surprising that Rose wasn't shoving him off but he wasn't complaining. In fact, it thrilled his body quite noticeably. He knew that she would be able to feel him but considering that she wasn't kneeing him and shouting at him to move, it obviously wasn't a problem. Gazing down at her, he found that her breasts were rather ample and succulent as they were outlined by the tight top. The top of her cleavage was revealed to him as well and he found his mouth watering as he longed to dip his head down and pepper a trail of kisses along them. The way her chest rose and fell with each breath had him hypnotized.

Rose never wore anything this revealing around him or anyone if he recalled correctly. The most casual he had seen her was in the white button up top school uniform shirt or a sweater of sorts. This was a most pleasant and most welcomed surprise. Maybe if he was lucky, he could eventually convince her to sleep naked. The thought was almost too much for him. If she did ever agree to that, he could promise that sleep was the last thing that either one of them would be doing.

There was no denying what Scorpius was thinking. Rose might be a prude sometimes but she wasn't naïve to how men behaved. Not to mention, a rather firm part of his anatomy was pressed against her but instead of being frightened, she found herself burning with desire for him. She craved him just as deeply as he craved her and she was not sure that she could rationally explain herself out of this one. The need her body possessed was primal and almost impossible to deny. Her eyes never left his and she knew that his desire was mirrored in her own. Maybe she could give in just a little bit…

Before she could change her mind, she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. Scorpius leaned in to kiss the inside of her elbow and then nuzzle the skin there. The sensation was devastating as it caused her body to shiver viciously, raising the hairs on the back of her neck. Spurred on, she gently tugged him down so that her lips met his passionately. It was bold of her, but Scorpius had been the one to initiate their kiss last time and she wanted to demonstrate that she wanted him just as badly.

Scorpius wasn't even aware that he could desire Rose any more so than he did. Currently, he was being proven quite wrong. Her kiss was exhilarating and passionate. She was a firecracker filled with confidence and spirit. There was nothing this woman couldn't achieve and she wouldn't allow for anyone to stand in her way. Hell, he had been on the receiving end of her fire many times over the last several years. He was ecstatic that now he was tasting that fire but not burning from it.

A growl rumbled from his lips as Scorpius took the time to explore her mouth as thoroughly as possibly. Who knew when he was going to have another opportunity like this? She reciprocated his motions without fail and he felt her tugging his lower lip in between his teeth. This time a moan escaped him as he allowed her to do as she wished. He would never admit it to anyone, save Rose, but he was putty in her hands. Even if she wasn't doing devastating things to liquefy his body.

Rose had never felt so thrilled in her life. Sure, she had been in several competitions that that had her adrenaline spiked and her ego inflated, but nothing compared to the rush that she was feeling now. Her yearning for Scorpius climbed to almost frightening levels but she would not allow for herself to be afraid. She was a mature, adult woman and she refused to miss out on anything because of unease or fear. With everything that had happened with her and Scorpius since the beginning of the term, she had come to trust him thoroughly. It had not been an easy job, but she knew that he would not hurt her. At least, not intentionally. She liked to believe that they had progressed passed pettiness.

Running his tongue along her lower lip, Scorpius decided to return the favor and nibbled on her lip teasingly. He wasn't sure where this was going to end up, but he was hopeful. However, he was finding the blanket barrier between them increasingly frustrating. He wanted to feel her soft body pressed against his own so much so it was maddening. His gesture had elicited a delicate moan from the woman beneath him, causing his body to harden impossibly more.

The night Rose had whatever explicit dream she had, his body had been in hell. All he had been hearing her were pleasure filled moans and he wanted nothing more than to give her a reason to continue those melodic sounds. It had been agony but now that he was the reason for her current noises, he was sure his body was going to explode. Merlin, that would be the last thing he needed. He would be damned if he allowed himself to be finished so early. The embarrassment would surely kill him if the damage to his reputation did not.

How was it that her simple motions were more effective than those of women who he was sure had much more experience? All it took was a light touch or even a gaze from the red head and he felt himself utterly undone. Since when did he become such a sap? Sex had meant nothing to him except for an itch to scratch and a boost to his ego and reputation. With Rose, everything had changed. He didn't just want sex with her, though there was no denying he wished to participate in the act. What he wanted was for her to look at him adoringly and to light up whenever she saw him as though he was the most important person, not in the entire world but in her world. He wanted to be her everything and that was why he would never force anything she was unsure about. As of right now, however, it did not appear that she was unsure at all in the least.

Growling as his frustrations met their limit, he begrudgingly broke away from the kiss in favor of leaning back enough to remove the blanket between them. Lowering himself back down, he couldn't stop the low, appreciative moan that tumbled from his lips at feeling her against him. He half expected her to tear away from him at how obvious it was that his body needed her. Instead, what he received was an incredibly tempting sight.

Rose's cheeks were flushed a heated pink that dusted across her nose and cheeks. It complimented her porcelain skin and fiery hair perfectly. She was unbelievably gorgeous and Scorpius could not believe that it had taken him this long to notice. He had been so caught up in their stupid feud to really see her as a woman. His hands itched once more to trace the curves of her body but he settled upon lightly running the backs of his fingers along the side of her face. Slowly and sensually he changed direction and grazed his fingertips down her throat and across her exposed collarbone.

He was satisfied that his actions were effective as he saw her lush lips part as her breathing labored slightly. There was fire in her blue eyes and he found himself desperately wanting to burn. Scorpius had expected Rose to become shy as she normally did when intimacy became the topic of conversation but apparently, she was no longer feeling this shyness. There was no complaint from him of course.

Rose was doing her absolute best to not be embarrassed. Scorpius was gazing down at her with such hunger, she felt he might just devour her on the spot. It was flustering for him to be looking at her so directly but she wanted to show him that she wasn't afraid or embarrassed. She wanted him with a ferocity that surprised even her. However, the silence between them was starting to become too much.

"Is…. Something wrong?" she asked quietly, her gaze never leaving his. A slow, charming smile spread across Scorpius' lips as he leaned down so that his nose was just an inch from her own.

"Never. I'm admiring your beauty. You are the most gorgeous woman I have ever met," he said silkily, enjoying the, already present, flush on her face reddening further.

"Th-that's not true. I've seen some of the women you've been with," Rose countered before she could stop herself. Why in the name of Merlin's beard would she attempt to sabotage this moment? Silently cursing herself, she was surprised that Scorpius didn't seem fazed at all by her response. She wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

"You're beautiful from the inside out. You have a wonderful, caring heart that I cannot help but be enamored by," he started before leaning down to briefly kiss the corner of her mouth. "And you're sexy as hell. Don't fight me." Rose couldn't help but smile at his teasing. Despite his tone, she knew that he was being sincere.

"Is this the real Scorpius Malfoy or were you replaced by a pod person?" she asked with a giggle that turned into full-blown laughter at the blank look he gave her. He obviously didn't understand the reference and for a good reason. He was a pure-blooded wizard and it was a very muggle reference.

"Why do I have the feeling that you're making fun of me?" he said with a pout. Rose did her best to stifle her giggles but a wide smile still remained on her face.

"I do it with great affection, I assure you," she guaranteed him. There were a few grumbled coming from him but he said nothing more. Rose reached up and cupped his face so that she could kiss him gently.

Scorpius was instantly cheered by the feeling of her soft lips on his own. It did very well in distracting him. All he could think about was how much he loved her kisses and how badly he still wanted her. At first, he kept the kiss soft and light but when he could no longer resist the temptation, his passion poured forward and he promptly began devouring her mouth. The elicited gasp and moans from Rose told him that he was doing his job quite well.

Deciding to test the waters, Scorpius slid his hands down along her sides to rest on her hips. He hooked his thumbs along the inside of her waistband to lightly tease the skin there. Immediately, Rose began squirming underneath him, indicating that she enjoyed his ministrations. The fact that she didn't smack his hands away spurred him further. He broke from the kiss to trail his lips along her neck and throat to lightly suckle and lick at the hollow spot beneath it. Beneath the skin, he could feel her swallowing heavy as her hands flew to tangle in his hair. The feeling of her lightly gripping his hair had to be the greatest turn-on he had ever felt to date.

It surprised Rose that she was allowing Scorpius to do as he was to her. There was no denying that it was indeed what she wanted but she had promised herself that she would not become an easy lay for him. If they continued their intimacy, she wanted more from him than just sex. She wanted them to become a couple and for him to not be ashamed of who he really was and who held his heart. Perhaps it was presumptuous of her to assume that she possessed his heart, but she definitely obtained something that no one else had.

"S-Scorpius…" she started but it only came out as a moan as his devilish lips made their way to the valley between her breasts. The sensation was wonderful and he clearly knew what to do to make her feel as though her body were turning to jelly. They were simple gestures but damn did they have a powerful impact. She wondered if it was because of Scorpius or her inexperience with sexual affections.

That was not to say that she had never had any experiences in the past. She had a small, very small handful of boyfriends over the years. Not a single one of them could even begin to compare to Scorpius. The longest relationship she had lasted about four months her fifth year. It was a fellow Ravenclaw that she no longer spoke to. Her ambitions seemed to be rather off putting for guys, even the Ravenclaws. Perhaps she should have been placed into Slytherin.

Scorpius, upon hearing his name from her delectable lips, couldn't help but smile against her silken skin. This woman was absolutely perfect and she was driving him incredibly mad. He was not sure how much longer his body would be able to sustain itself at this rate. Hell, he didn't even know if his body was even going to get the release it so desired. It took everything in him not to whimper at the thought. As dreadful as it sounded, he would stop if she asked it of him.

Sliding his hands beneath her tank top, his fingertips were met with the fabric of the bottom of her bra. It was incredibly disappointing that she slept in the damn thing but this was Rose Weasley after all. Apparently, it took until he had said something just to get her to remove one layer of clothing when she went to bed. The woman was going to require some work but he enjoyed the challenged. What he enjoyed more, however, was knowing that no other man had touched her as he did. Well, he was speculating this, but from her reactions, that was how it appeared. While he knew that he was doing a damn good job, he could tell the difference.

Shivers coursed across Rose's skin at the feel of Scorpius' warm hands sliding across her skin. Yes, the man was experienced but even his softest touches was enough to affect her. There was just something about him that made her wild. Her heart began racing as she felt him near her bra. She had never been naked in front of any man, even briefly. She never changed in front of her old boyfriends and she surely was never this intimate. It was embarrassing that she was as old as she was and had barely had any sort of sexual encounters. There was very little time because of her studies and there was never that spark. Right now, she would gladly give up time for studying to spend it with Scorpius. The thought was a bit frightening. Nothing ever took precedence over her ambitions.

Just as Scorpius was about to slide off her top entirely, to continue his explorations, he heard loud banging followed by the door to the room being swung open and slamming against the wall. Someone had entered in quite a frenzy and Scorpius was beyond pissed off now. Whoever the bastard was he or she was interrupting an incredibly private moment. While it did not faze him to be walked in on, he knew that Rose would be mortified, despite being dressed. It was the compromising position, he supposed, that would upset her.

Thinking quickly, he grabbed the nearby blanket, that he had discard earlier, and threw it over the both of them. From his vantage point, Scorpius was still able to see Rose but the intruder would not be able to. Due to the set up of the room, he was unable to see who had come in. There were two small half walls on the left and right side of the room with a massive arch in the center. This made the room appear inclusive with the rest of the quarters but also semi private, despite not having an actual door. Rose and Scorpius' beds were both place behind one of these walls so that looking into the room, without actually stepping in, all that could be seen were their end tables.

Scorpius could see the look that Rose was giving him, indicating that he should move so that they could split apart but honestly, with as hard and aching as he body currently was, the last thing he wanted to do was move quickly. Instead, he placed a light finger across her lips to keep her quiet before he called out over his shoulder.

"Who the hell is here?!" he yelled, more harshly than necessary due to his frustrations. Whoever had interrupted them had better have a good reason. Who the hell was he kidding? There was no reason good enough that would calm him down right now.

"Well fuck you too, Malfoy. I'm not looking for you. Where's Rose?" Albus growled, feeling rather annoyed.

Scorpius' eyes shifted down to Rose, wondering what she wanted to do. There was not going to be an easy way out of this without Potter blowing a gasket. If he saw his cousin not in her normal pajama attire, he was going to be pissed. He had seen how the man reacted when he saw his sister in her dress for the Yule Ball. Potter had been incredibly loud after all. It had nothing to do with him eagerly waiting to catch a glimpse of Rose. Even worse would be if the prat saw the position said cousin was in and with whom.

Rose bit her lower lip uneasily. She wanted to know what was so urgent that Albus felt the need to get ahold of her so quickly. However, she knew that she was thinking the same as Scorpius in that Albus would go ballistic at the sight of the two of them. He had barely been coming to terms with them being close and a bit affectionate. This would be too much too soon. Shaking her head from side to side, she indicated for Scorpius not to say anything about her. She would go find Albus as soon as he left and she dressed for the day.

"How the hell should I know? I'm busy!" he yelled back over his shoulder. He heard some grumbling and other noises of irritation but what he had not been expecting was for Potter to come stepping into the room. Great… just great.

Albus' eyes grew wide before narrowing angrily at the sight before him. He could see what Malfoy had meant by being "busy." Clearly, he was in bed with a woman but he could not see who. It didn't matter. What pissed him off was that he was sleeping around despite knowing how Rose felt for him. While the git may not have made her his girlfriend, he had staked some sort of claim on her and the entire school knew it. This was exactly what he had been worried about when he realized that Rose was falling for the bastard.

"You arsehole!" he bellowed as he clenched his fists. "How dare you!?"

Scorpius found himself blinking several times at the explosive reaction. He knew for sure that Potter would not be able to tell that Rose was the one he was in bed with. What the hell was he so bent out of shape for? Frowning, he returned the glare, not appreciating that now he was being attacked. For now it was verbal, but the guy had one hell of a temper and it wasn't going to take long before this became a physical altercation.

"How dare I what, Potter? I told you Rose wasn't here so get lost," he growled.

Beneath him, he felt Rose shift uncomfortable and place her hands against his arms that were currently keeping him propped above her. Looking at her from the corner of his eye, he could see that she was becoming increasingly upset. Oh this was wonderful. This was exactly how he had pictured this moment with Rose happening. As if he wasn't already pissed at Potter, now he had something else to add to the list.

"That's the fucking problem! You rank arse bastard!" he swore.

Rose had never heard Albus so upset. Granted, she had seen him and Malfoy in many fights before and he would often let his mouth run loose, but this was worse than anything she had known. She supposed, he attempted to show some decency when she or Lily was around. His temper was snapping and she was worried that both he and Scorpius were about to get hurt. It was either going to become physically violent or spells were going to fly. If Albus thought he might be able to mortify Scorpius, she knew that he would do something rash.

"Get the hell out of here, Potter!" he yelled, wishing he would just go away now. The mood was obviously ruined and there was no coming back from it. Now his main concern was saving Rose humiliation. With the mood that Potter was in now, seeing her would only make things more explosive.

"I knew you couldn't fucking be trusted! You're a god damned Malfoy! There is nothing but evil surrounding you and your family! Every single one of you is a fuck up! Rose has been fucking blinded to you and seems to think you are some kind of good person. Clearly she was fucking wrong. She doesn't mean a damn thing to you and this has all been a bloody good show, hasn't it?! Thought you would get your kicks by seducing a Weasley, making her pretend that you care, and then tearing out her damn heart?! Here you are, fucking Merlin knows who, while Rose is out there oblivious to how nasty you really are! And to think, I was even starting to tolerate you!" Albus bellowed angrily, his voice dropping several octaves.

Everything started to finally make sense as Scorpius realized just what Potter was so damned upset about. While it might be commendable that he was defending his cousin's honor as he was, it was pissing him off. Gritting his teeth, he was doing his best not to reach under his pillow, draw his wand, and hex him. Now that he thought about it, that might not be a bad idea as it would shut the prat up immediately. His words stung, regardless, as he insulted him and his family. Yes, their families did not get along and his grandparents and father had been mixed up in some rather disturbing things but that was in the past. His father was not proud of it like his grandfather and his mother was a truly good person.

"You had better watch yourself, Potter, before you get hurt," he said dangerously.

He felt Rose's grip on his arms tighten and he found himself incredibly torn. It would be so easy to throw in Potter's face that Rose was in fact underneath him and quite willingly, but he wouldn't shame Rose like that. In the past, he would have thrown her under the bus immediately but things had drastically changed since then. She had come to mean so much to him but he couldn't keep allowing the nimrod to keep insulting him.

"What are you gonna do, huh? You haven't moved a damn inch. What happened, your dick get stuck?" he sneered. That was the last straw. Having finally had enough, Scorpius, in one fluid motion, reached beneath the pillow Rose was laying on, retrieved his wand, and snapped his wand at Potter.

" _Stupefy!_ " he yelled as a spark of light shot forth and hit the Gryffindor square in the chest. It sent him reeling into the main room. Unfortunately, he was still conscious but for the moment he was quiet as he attempted to catch his breath.

Scorpius hissed in pain as he felt Rose's nails dig into his skin. Yeah, he knew that she wasn't going to like that but could she honestly blame him? He wouldn't shut the hell up and he was the one just being plain rude. In fact, he could get points for having waited as long as he did. Normally he would have laid the git out flat from the moment he walked into the room unannounced.

Albus groaned as he righted himself. He hated how much that damn spell hurt. After having been hit with hit several times over the years, he would have thought that he had become immune to it. What he wanted to do was to charge back into the room and really give Malfoy a piece of his mind, but unfortunately, he did still have some woman in there. It wasn't her fault that Malfoy was a complete waste of space. However, he was surprised that she had not said anything. He was sure she was naked which was why she had not tried to leave.

"You're going to regret that, Malfoy," he spat before turning on his heel and leaving. He needed to find Rose and inform her of how right he had been.

As soon as Albus had left the room, Rose sat up immediately, bumping her head against Scorpius's chin as she did so. They both hissed in pain but more so Scorpius. Despite the fighting, his hardness had not gone away and she had effectively kneed him in the process of moving. Groaning painfully, he rolled over onto the vacant side of the bed and just laid there for a moment. Another jolt of pain nearly had him swinging. Rose had slapped him, hard, in the chest.

"What the hell did you do that for?!" he howled as his mind tried to recover going from pleasure to pain in such a short time span.

"I could ask the same of you! Why did you hex him!" she screeched.

Scorpius growled in absolute irritation. Seriously? How in the hell did this happen? Oh, Potter was going to pay dearly for everything. If the bastard had not come in and ruin everything, things would have been incredible. Now, he had to deal with a pissed off Rose, which always meant terrible things for him. It was moments like this he wondered why he had even got out of bed. Oh wait, he didn't. She had been in his bed and all he wanted to do was be with her.

"So, let me get this straight. I'm in trouble for hexing your cousin because he wouldn't stop running his mouth because you didn't want me to let him know that you were here. Is that how this is going down?" he grumbled as he watched Rose get out of bed.

"Yes!" she yelled as she angrily began digging around in her trunk and retrieving her clothes for the day.

"Oh. Good. I'm so glad we cleared that up," he said sarcastically.

"Shut the hell up, Scorpius!" Rose snapped. She was so angry she could barely see straight. Albus was the current reason for her ire and Scorpius' reaction to him wasn't helping either. They were both complete morons and they were making her absolutely mental.

It really wasn't in his nature to be quiet, but considering how pissed off Rose was, he felt that it might be smarter to keep his mouth shut. She was absolutely fuming and he hated being part of the reason why. Though, to be honest, he was just acting in self-defense. Sighing, he watched as Rose moved around the room gathering things that she would need for the day. Eventually, she retreated to the bathroom and he found himself feeling painfully alone.

Growling yet again in frustration, he threw his arm over his face as he felt his body starting to finally calm down. This morning had turned into an absolute disaster and he was irritated beyond belief. Damn Potter… what the hell was so important anyway? Whenever Rose saw her cousin, Scorpius hoped that she might tell him later what it was about. Though with the way her anger was, she might be angry for quite some time.

It had been a little while since he had been the reason for her anger. Granted, this time it wasn't solely him but he knew that he did not help. Frowning, he actually thought he did rather well considering his past with both the Weasleys and Potters. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he really didn't deserve her attitude towards him. Yeah she could be a little miffed but not full blown pissed. She was taking her aggravation out on him that she really wanted to direct towards her cousin.

Feeling his own anger cresting, he grumbled in great annoyance as he also began getting ready for the day. Despite how cool the weather had become, he threw on a thin, black button up shirt with accompanying black slacks. He wasn't going to allow for her to step all over him as he was. Rose was trying to change too much about him and as much as she was coming to mean to him, he didn't like having to become a different person. If she couldn't see the efforts that he was putting forth then she was a lost cause to him.

So he had anger issues sometimes, that was unavoidable. It seemed to run in his family but at least he could say he had never hit a woman. Sure him, Potter, and the younger Weasley had slugged it out on more than one occasion but that's what guys did. He had done his best to alter his behavior for her, so that she would be more accepting of him, but did it really matter? There was no doubt that they cared about one another, but was he ready to make the commitment to her? If he did so, there would most certainly be discord amongst their families.

If a Malfoy made a commitment, he stuck to it. It was why he avoided doing such while he was in school. No one was worth his time. Rose had come to show him that maybe, just maybe he might change his mind on that subject. However, when she went about fuming and being angry with him as she was, it was hard for him not to doubt.

Making yet another noise of frustration, he reached for his pillow on the bed and promptly threw it fiercely at the wall, watching as it flopped unsatisfactorily onto the floor. Yeah, that didn't really cure his pent up frustrations. What he really wanted to do was to find a more than willing fangirl and fuck her senselessly until he could forget all of his problems.

Since Rose had caught him with a girl in this very room, he had not seen another girl since. All he could think about was Rose but that was starting to cause an abundance of problems. He wasn't into self-service if that was the only service that he was getting. Not to mention, every time he was around the red-head his body went into over drive and all he wanted was to feel her around him.

Feeling his body reacting to his thoughts, he gripped at his hair as though he might tear it out. Reconsidering this, he smoothed down the strands and sighed heavily. His hormones were not to be taken lightly and this woman was destroying him from the inside out. Currently, his body and his heart were waging a vicious war. His body wanted sex and it wanted it now with a ferocity that he could taste. Then there was his damned heart that wanted to remain loyal to Rose and to not confirm the things that Potter had been screaming at him.

"Scorpius?" Rose called out loudly, wondering if he was still in the room or if he had left. She had finished dressing for the day, wearing a dark green sweater and jeans. Moving towards their room, she saw that Scorpius was just standing in the middle looking angry as hell. He was dressed from head to toe in black, which was exactly how she liked him.

"What now, Weasley? If you haven't noticed, I'm tired of being fucking yelled at for something that really doesn't warrant it," he growled angrily. He was done with this scenario. Moving passed Rose, he didn't even notice the look of hurt in her eyes.

"Where are you going?" Rose inquired, her voice softer than before because of her hurt. It had been a very long time since he had used her surname, which attested to how upset he had become. She didn't understand why he was the one upset when it was her cousin that he hexed.

"Away!" he yelled before slamming the door behind him. What he desperately needed was to get some air so that he could clear his head. The last thing he wanted to do was something he would come to regret.

Rose bit her lower lip unhappily, as she winced from the sound of the door. During her time of changing her clothes, she had started to calm down and reassess the situation. Yes, Scorpius did hex Albus but her cousin did ask for it. Some of the things he said were incredibly uncalled for even with the tension between the two. While she could understand where Albus was coming from, it was still wrong and all her fault. Had she not asked Scorpius to not tell him that she was there; things would have been a bit different. She had a feeling it still would have ended in anger and probably a hex but it wouldn't have been based off of a lie.

Why did she ask him to lie anyways? Here she wanted Scorpius to acknowledge her and become more public with whatever they were but she couldn't even admit to her family that they were involved. She knew that part of the issue was because it would cause strife in her family. Nevertheless, if she was asking that of Scorpius, shouldn't she be doing the same?

Twirling a strand of her red hair around her finger, she knew that she had messed up. Whatever the two of them had was delicate at best and here she was screwing it up which was ironic as it was normally Scorpius' fault. She knew that she needed to apologize and talk to him but he would need some cooling off. She just hoped that she did not push him into doing anything rash.

Her heart ached at the idea of possibly shoving him into another woman's arms. It wasn't like the two of them were an official item so he could do whatever he wanted without the pretense of cheating. While her heart would most certainly feel like it was the same thing, she couldn't rightfully get mad. She knew she needed to have more faith in Scorpius but it felt like she was trying to tame a tiger. He was still wild and animalistic at heart even beneath his prestigious name and immaculate looks. While tigers were beautiful to look at, they were still wild warriors capable of pain. Scorpius Malfoy was a smooth talker who looked amazing but could very easily damage her heart. Just what had she got herself into?

Finding that dwelling was doing her no good, Rose decided that she had better locate Albus and find out what he needed. After all, he was the reason this whole escapade was occurring. It didn't take her long to find him once she started asking around. He was in the library, presumably looking for her. Quietly, Rose walked over to him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I heard you were looking for me," she said gently, smiling a bit when she saw Albus jump a bit, clearly startled.

"Gah! Rose you scared the hell out me!" he said loudly, earning an irritable "shh!" from the librarian.

"Sorry, come on, let's go somewhere where we can talk," she urged as she escorted him into the hall. "What's going on? I was told it was urgent."

Rose could see that Albus was battling with himself over something. He was trying to decide whether to tell her about Scorpius now or later. Honestly, Scorpius was the last person she wanted to think about right now. In fact, after whatever crisis that Albus had was averted, she planned to see her brother and check up on him. He seemed to be doing okay the night before so she had hopes that he would be out of bed today. Albus continued to look distraught before Rose became impatient.

"Come on, Al, what's going on?" she demanded, frowning a bit.

"It's… it's real bad, Rose," he started before running his fingers through his messy hair. "It's Hugo."

Rose felt her heart plummet deep into the pit of her stomach. Immediately, hundreds of terrible scenarios began racing through her head at what could have happened. Not waiting for Albus to explain, she raced towards the Hospital Wing. She needed to see Hugo and he needed to be okay. If that damn chimera took her brother from her… no she couldn't think like that. Whatever it was, Hugo would recover because he had no choice. Even if she had to figure out a way herself, he would recover.

"Wait! Rose, hold on!" Albus called after her as he attempted to catch up. He knew that she wasn't going to reciprocate the information well but he had at least hoped to fully explain the situation. She seemed rather tense now that he was paying more attention.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked quickly, doing her best to keep her hysteria down.

"Well… Madame Rosaline said that he was fine… until sometime in the middle of the night. He started seizing and having a terrible reaction. The headmaster destroyed the weapon the chimera had but she thinks it was poisoned. The problem is she doesn't know what the poison is because the weapon is gone," he explained, stumbling into Rose as she stopped suddenly.

"Wh-What?" she asked quietly, making sure she heard correctly.

Rose felt like her whole world was spinning and she couldn't ground herself. She felt Albus' arms around her, attempting to steady her. Hugo had been poisoned and they had no idea what it was so they couldn't create an antidote. There wasn't much they could try in case it reacted to the poison and made it worse. Suddenly, she felt incredibly sick. She couldn't lose her baby brother. It was her job to protect him no matter what and she had failed. Why hadn't she done something sooner?

Albus was worried that maybe Rose was going to need to be seen by the nurse at this rate. Her skin had become incredibly pale and she had a dazed, far off look. She wasn't processing the information very well and he couldn't blame her. When he found out, the first thing he had done was yell and punch a wall. Problem was that all the walls were stone in the school, which had hurt like bloody hell. The nurse had yelled at him as she patched him up. Rose was too distracted to see that he had something resembling a cast on his wrist.

"Hey… don't go doing what you normally do. This is not your fault. The headmaster's duty is to protect this school and his students. It was his damn fault that the thing was still here. He should have personally made sure that the blasted creature was gone. Hell this whole damn tournament shouldn't have happened," he said sternly, trying to snap Rose out of her daze.

"But… Al he's my brother… I have to protect to him," she whimpered, her voice quivering from unshed tears.

"Rose you are an absolutely brilliant witch and you take after your mum but come on, this is not something that you could be expected to be prepared for. This tournament used to kill people and you know what happened with my dad," he assured her.

"Albus… there is something sinister happening here. I know there is… yes this tournament is deadly… but the things happening this year. It's not normal. I know you can feel it too," she said as she looked up at her cousin who was a good foot taller than she was.

For a moment, Albus said nothing as he looked off. Yeah, something told him that something was going on this year. When the tournament had been announced, it hit him like a ton of bricks. He just knew that something horrific was going to happen this year because of it. At first he just shrugged it off as being exhausted from traveling, as it had been the first night back to the school, but the feeling still nagged at the back of his brain.

"Do you think… our families are cursed?" Rose asked, recalling the conversation she had with Albus during the Start of the Term Feast.

"I… don't know… to be honest," Albus answered quietly.

His father had been the Chosen One and with that came a whole lot of hell and destruction throughout his father's years at school which was when he had been introduced into the wizarding world. While his father hated talking about it, his he did divulge his history throughout Albus' life. Albus and Rose's families were incredibly close so everyone ended up knowing everything.

Rose's parents, while not being part of any prophecy, were best friends and guardians, to her Uncle Harry. She wondered if maybe somewhere, their role as guardians or protectors had a similar importance as being the Chosen One. Perhaps, it was their closeness to her uncle that had tainted them. Something that her uncle absolutely hated talking about was that he had been a horcrux for Voldemort.

All her life, Rose had been incredibly inquisitive. For as long as she could remember, she would read and read and read. Her mother had enjoyed reading with her and often would give her several different books or subjects to read. Sometime in her fourth year, having checked out a book in the Restricted Section, she had come across the term and had become fascinated by it. Never in a million years would she ever even think about producing one but it was still interesting nonetheless. She had asked her family about it while her uncle Harry was nearby and she thought that he was going to have a stroke. It was then that he had explained in full what it had meant.

Horcruxes were toxic. Rose wondered if maybe because her mother and father had both spent so much time with her uncle that perhaps it had rubbed off on them somehow too. The horcrux had been destroyed but what if its effects were everlasting? What if this was the curse that she and Albus both felt was on their families? It might not have been as farfetched as it sounded. She absolutely loved her Uncle Harry, and it wasn't his fault that he was who he was, but she wondered if their families were doomed?

"We should go see Hugo…" Rose said gently as she pulled away from Albus' embrace. She felt steady and all she wanted to do was see her brother.

The duo trekked the remaining distance to the Hospital Wing, but at a much slower pace. Albus was concerned that Rose might faint along the way. To her credit, she did not but he could tell that she was still rather upset. Knowing his cousin as he did, she was already formulating a way to help Hugo. If anyone could it would be her, that was for sure. She was striving to become a Potions Master and she was excellent at Herbology. While he was sure both Professor Brewer and Professor Longbottom, the Herbology professor, were both hard at work; Rose was going to want to assist in any way possible.

As they approached the massive double doors, Rose found them partially open with the sounds of yelling echoing through. Placing a finger to her lips, she indicated for Albus to be silent as she listened in to what was going on. The voices sounded familiar and as she peaked inside, just a bit, she could see why. Standing several beds away from Hugo's, Rose could see her mother and father as well as her Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny. The headmaster, Professor Brewer and Professor Longbottom were also engaged in the "conversation", if it could be called that. Her father just seemed to be yelling nonstop. Madame Rosaline stood over Hugo's bed to monitor him while the other adults were "busy."

"How in the hell could this have happened!?" Ron bellowed at the man before him, who claimed to be the headmaster. Yes, he knew that he was indeed the headmaster but he felt that he did not currently deserve the title.

"Mr. Weasley, if you would allow me to—" the headmaster started.

"My son is lying here with some unknown poison running through him and all of you are telling me that you have no idea what it is!" Ron continued, his anger mounting. His face had flushed to match his hair color.

"Ron, please calm down," Hermione said gently as she placed a hand on her husband's arm. While she was just as distressed as he was, yelling at everyone wasn't going to make anything better. A tic had started in Ron's jaw but he kept his mouth clenched shut for now. The last thing he needed was his wife to start yelling at him.

"Neville, surely you must have some sort of idea on what to try?" Ginny said as she looked over at him. Her brother was reasonably upset but that also made him incredibly irrational.

While the lot of them had been at school, Neville Longbottom was knowing for being obsessed and spectacular at Herbology. It wouldn't have required much effort for him to be become a professor. The job suited him well and he seemed to enjoy it. It was a shame that he was having to endure the current situation. Since the Battle at Hogwarts, the world had known nothing but peace and minimal discord. The current year seemed to be changing all of that, at least within the castle.

"Without knowing exactly what is ailing him, I would not feel comfortable suggesting anything. There are herbs that we can use to help the symptoms and to try and make him more comfortable but that's about it. I could just as easily kill him as help him if I go blindly recommending different vegetation. One herb would be affective towards a specific ailment but otherwise it would be deadly. Professor Brewer would agree with me," he replied as he looked over at his colleague.

"Professor Longbottom is quite right. There is nothing that we can suggest to cure him until we discover what it is exactly that he has been poisoned with," Professor Brewer said calmly.

For an Irish man, Edgar Brewer was a relatively calm individual. The stereotypical anger that was associated with the Irish only came out in instances that called for it, such as when the chimera attacked. He was middle aged and hailed directly from the Emerald Isles where he was born and raised until he came to Hogwarts several years ago. His accent still remained heavy but he seemed to fit in rather well. In fact, the red of his hair made him currently appear as though he belonged to the Weasley clan. It was short and wavy, making him appear much younger than he was. Currently dressed in green robes, the sight would have been comical if the situation was not so dire.

"Then find out! Hugo doesn't have time for you to wait!" Ron started in again, unable to remain quiet any longer.

"Mr. Weasley, we are doing what we can. The weapon was destroyed but we are researching into what it was. The chimera was acquired by a long term colleague in Greece. I am currently waiting for a response from him," the headmaster explained. Instead of appeasing Ron, this only made him angrier.

"Just go there yourself! Why the hell are you waiting?! Dumbledore would have never allowed this to happen!" Ron yelled, feeling completely exasperated.

"Dumbledore wasn't a saint, Ron, you know this," Harry stated, suddenly making himself known. "When this stupid tournament was around, when we went to school, everything went wrong. Including me entering. He didn't stop it then. I was offered up as bait and nearly died several times. I want to know whose brilliant idea it was to bring this forsaken event back to life."

The entire room grew quiet at this. Half of those present had been there when Harry was the Triwizard Tournament Champion. The Ministry did not believe him when he had said that Voldemort had returned and it had been over a year before it was publically acknowledged. The Second Wizarding War had been set into motion by the tournament, which had been used as a smoke screen.

"But," he continued; "He was still one of the bravest men I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. He wasn't a saint and he made mistakes, but he continued to try and do what was right. He gave his life doing this."

"I am sorry about your lad, but there were safety precautions put into place so that there would not be any harm done to any of the Champions or bystanders," Professor Brewer assured.

"A lot of good that's done! My son isn't a Champion and he wasn't the only one in danger. How in the hell does a beast like that make it past all of the faculty in the school and tear up the Hall?! Why the hell didn't you get rid of it immediately! It's your damn job! Why in the hell don't you know what poisoned him?!" Ron bellowed once more.

"Ronald!" Hermione screeched, feeling that her husband was crossing the line. The headmaster wasn't perfect and Dumbledore proved that when he was headmaster. They were only human and could only do so much. She was just as worried about their son as Ron was, but she was trying to be level headed. Unfortunately, her husband wasn't known for that.

The headmaster remained quiet as he allowed for Hugo's father to continue his rant. The man had every reason to be upset, but he wished that he was a bit quieter about it. He carried an immense amount of guilt for what happened at the Hall. Had he thought, for even a moment, the weapon had been poisoned he would not have destroyed it. Chimeras were not known for carrying weapons and he had made sure that the first task would not enable it to transform. Someone was working against him actively and he was putting his best efforts forward to figure out who.

Ron growled angrily before storming a few feet away. He ran his fingers through his red hair anxiously as he began to pace. It was incredibly difficult to keep his anger in check when his family was being hurt. How the hell Hermione managed to do it, he would never know. Despite her rationality, however, he knew that her mother instincts had to be making her crazy. She was a mama bear if there ever was one and the scariest part was how incredibly brilliant she was. Someone was going to pay one way or another and it would not be a pretty sight.

Harry watched as his best mate paced furiously and his heart went out to him. He had been thankful that Albus had not been chosen. Honestly, he wanted to strangle the boy when he found out that he had even entered his name to begin with. It was not easy for him growing up with a famous father and for that he was apologetic. After the first few years of school, Harry wanted nothing more than to fade into the background as terrible things just kept happening to him. The last thing he wanted was for any of his children to feel like they needed to put themselves in danger just to prove that they were different from himself.

While it was not his child's life on the line, it was still his nephew and he was incredibly worried himself. His and Ginny's family were incredibly close and he thought of his nieces and nephews as his own children. Everyone had been worried about Rose being a Champion and after the first task, there was good reason to be. The tournament, even with its new regulations, was still just as dangerous as he recalled it. Thankfully, there was not the worry of Voldemort popping up and causing destruction. The graveyard still haunted him to this day.

Ginny moved to where her brother was and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Considering everything that was going on, she knew that he was doing the best he could to remain calm. It was a terrifying situation and not having any answers was killing the possibility of having hope. When they sent their children to Hogwarts, they did not expect for anything like this to happy. While it seemed to be a normal occurrence when they were students, until this point, they did not have to worry about a single thing.

James had progressed through all seven years with above average grades with nothing more devastating than detention to contend with. Albus' grades were progressively better than James' but he seemed to have the same addiction to trouble that his brother and father had. Lily was doing absolutely exceptional and, thankfully, kept out of trouble. She supposed that Rose was an incredible role model for her. Rose took after Hermione, no doubt, but she did have Ron's temper. They had been worried that would cause issues but she had stayed out of trouble until this year.

Hugo, however, had been the biggest concern of the two families. He was incredibly quiet and introverted which led to him having very little friends. That was not to say that there weren't people who didn't try but he seemed to only connect with Lily. Over the years, he had developed a very small handful of people he hung out with but he always seemed a little lost. Having his family surrounding him and looking after him, had eased their minds a bit and things seemed to be getting better when everyone heard that he had a date for the Yule Ball. Just as progress was being made, this happened.

Ron looked over at his sister and sighed heavily, placing his hand over hers. Suddenly, he appeared very old and weary as though an additional ten years had been placed on his life. Ginny bit her lower lip uneasily as she searched for the words to say that could possibly bring comfort. Unfortunately, she didn't think that such a thing currently existed. All she could do was silently pray that something turned up.

"So… this weapon affected more than just Hugo. Why is it that none of the other students, who were also attacked, not incapacitated?" Hermione inquired as she turned her attention back to the headmaster. She watched as Neville and Professor Brewer exchanged inquisitive looks before she heard the nurse, who was still sitting with Hugo, speak.

"It must be an allergic reaction to something then and it is presenting itself much like poison. It is essentially poisoning him and it is still quite dangerous but perhaps we can narrow it down to his known allergies," the nurse suggested.

"Hugo isn't allergic to anything that we know of. This is either something new or something we haven't discovered because the opportunity never arose," Hermione said gently, feeling her moment of hope rise and then instantly squashed.

"Mrs. Weasley, I promise you, we will revive your son," the headmaster promised as he looked at her. Despite her demeanor, tears were forming and threatening to spill over.

Harry came over and hugged her tightly, seeing that she was close to losing it. He was tired of this damn tournament constantly ruining lives. There was a good reason why it had not been revived in almost twenty years. Sure, they had added additional security measures to ensure that no lives were lost, but, as Ron said, it wasn't doing any good.

Rose was having a terrible time bearing witness to the scene before her. It was killing her that her family was so distraught and upset. Her brother was lying comatose in a bed and she felt as though she had no one else but herself to blame, despite being assured constantly it was not. That was the kind of guilt that the oldest sibling carried. She wiped away her own tears before pushing the doors open with Albus in tow. The entire group turned to see who had entered.

"Rosie!" Ron called out, surprised to see her. It was still quite early in the day and he had expected her to be busy preparing for the second task. Seeing Albus in tow behind her, it all made sense.

"Dad…" she said gently before promptly being pulled into a bone crushing hug by her father. She didn't have to ask him why there were all there, considering that she just heard everything. "I don't understand. Hugo was fine. I just saw him last night right after the event. He was tired but he was okay."

"I don't know… you're mum is better at this stuff than I am," he said with a sigh as he leaned his chin on the top of her head.

"It… must have been slow releasing or something similar," Hermione answered in a daze as though she were thinking heavily upon something.

"I'm banking on your mum figuring this out before anyone," Ron whispered, earning a small smile from his daughter.

"What's being done now?" Rose asked as she pulled away from her father's embrace. She looked over at the nurse who was still tending to Hugo.

"We're keeping him comatose and slowing his functions down so that whatever is ailing him does not spread any further. I recommend sending him to St. Mungo's so that he might have constant attention. I'm good but I have an entire school to look after by myself," Madame Rosaline replied.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Rose inquired as she looked at the adults. She hated feeling so helpless and not knowing what was going on. Knowledge was her comfort. Whenever she found herself without proper information on a situation, it made her feel incredibly vulnerable.

"Perhaps you can assist Professor Longbottom and Professor Brewer on research," the headmaster offered kindly. He knew that even if he told her not to do anything she would regardless. "I will continue to try to reach my colleague."

"Albus Severus Potter, what did you do to your hand?" Ginny hissed as she saw her son. Flushing at being called out, Albus attempted to hide said hand underneath his robes but instead she pulled it forward, causing him to wince. Despite Albus being a fraction taller than his mother, she was still an impressive figure to him.

"Mrs. Potter, I assure you he's fine. It was a simple fracture but it is healing. He will be fine by the afternoon," Madame Rosaline assured her.

"Mum let me go! I'm fine!" he grumbled as he extracted himself from his mother's grip.

Rose frowned as she realized that something had been wrong with Albus. Why hadn't she noticed before now? She didn't recall him being injured by the chimera and the nurse had said that it was something simple. Feeling terrible twice over, she felt like she was losing touch with reality a bit. She was so caught up in herself and Scorpius that she felt like she was failing her family.

"Lily was here, last night, visiting Hugo when his condition got worse. She came and got me and I was told what happened. I…. didn't really take it well," he mumbled as he looked off, feeling embarrassed. He hated that everyone was looking at him right now.

"Albus…" Ginny said softly, before wrapping her arms around him and hugging him soothingly.

"Mum... he's family and my best mate, he has to pull through!" Albus complained before burying his face against her shoulder.

Rose saw that he hid his face before anyone could see that he was on the brink of crying. Despite their ages, they were all still children who wanted the comfort of their parents. Unable to help it, she wondered if behind closed doors Scorpius' family were warm enough to provide comfort to their son when he needed it. She liked to think that they were considering how they behaved after the first task when Scorpius had been injured. Thinking of the man had her heart aching. She couldn't be mad at Albus with everything going on and Scorpius really didn't deserve her ire. He had been doing what she asked.

"Where is Lily?" Harry asked, having not seen his youngest since the first task. With how close Lily and Hugo were, he had expected her to be in the Hospital Wing around the clock.

"Probably with her boyfriend," Albus grumbled as he pulled away from his mother. Noticing his tone, Harry arched a brow at his son.

"What boyfriend?" he asked with a frown. This was the first he had heard of anything. While it was not something she would normally tell him, she would tell Ginny who would in turn inform him.

"One of the Durmstrang Champions. She's gone mental for him, honestly," Albus answered with a shake of his head. Harry exchanged a look with his wife before returning his attention to his son.

"Krum's son?"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ron piped up with an aghast look on his face before shooting Hermione a look.

"What? Don't look at me like that, Ronald," Hermione said sternly.

"What is so wonderful about the Krums? I mean honestly…" he said bitterly, still upset about his fourth year at Hogwarts when Hermione had essentially been dating Viktor Krum.

"Says the one who used to be obsessed with him," Ginny snickered, causing her brother to flush and glare angrily.

"No, no, not Krum. Dragoni. The other Durmstrang champion. That's the one she's with," Albus correctly, giving the adults a disapproving look. His uncle liked to jump the gun a lot.

"Dragoni? I don't think I've ever heard that name before," Harry mused, receiving similar responses from everyone else.

"Yeah, Dad, she's being weird and…. Not herself like –" he started but was promptly cut off by Rose elbowing him.

"She's just smitten and being a girl," Rose assured. If Lily knew that her brother was divulging the information that he was, she would be mortified. Harry gave his niece an odd look, feeling as though she might be hiding something but now was not the time to press the matter.

Not wishing to be interrogated, Rose made her way over to where her brother was. Before she could stop herself, tears began falling down her cheeks as she placed her hand over her mouth to stifle her cry. He had done a complete reversal from the last time she had seen him. His skin had taken on a terrible grey pallor, indicating how truly sick he was. Beneath his eyes were dark rings and there was a frightening blue color to his lips that demonstrated that he wasn't receiving the proper amount of oxygen. If no one had told her he was simply comatose, she would have thought he was dead. Seeing her brother in this condition shattered her heart and reminded her of the vision she had seen of Scorpius. It was almost too much to bear.

A gentle embrace enveloped her and even before looking she knew it to be her mother. Her mother's hugs always warmed and comforted her which was what she desperately needed. Leaning back into her mother, she couldn't tear her eyes away from Hugo. Something had to change. She had to help find his cure.

"He's going to get better. You have to believe that," Hermione said gently as she placed a kiss atop of her daughter's head. This was difficult on everyone but she knew that Rose would be taking it to heart.

"He has to. There is no other option," Rose whispered before she finally looked away.

"Go get some fresh air. Me and your father are going to take care of everything with Hugo. Take Albus with you. He's hurting more than he's letting on," she said gently, earning a nod from her daughter. Rose leaned up to kiss her mother's cheek before staying goodbye to everyone. She left with Albus, her heart feeling heavy.

Rose wasn't sure where it was the two of them were going, but she knew that she needed to keep walking. Neither one of them spoke until they were outside. They had traversed the school ground and were standing before the lake. The sky had turned overcast which she found to be rather apropos for the mood. Despite how her morning started, everything was starting to feel bleak and dark.

"I… don't mean to be the bearer of bad news but…. There is something else that I need to talk to you about," Albus said gently as he stared intently at the lake. He was finding it hard to gaze at Rose directly. A sigh emitted from his cousin before she spoke.

"And what is that, Albus?" she asked as she too, stared out at the lake. The wind had picked up, indicating that a storm was coming in, and tossed her hair about a bit.

"It has to do with Malfoy," he said simply as he struggled with the right words. Yet another sigh came from Rose. She had been hoping that maybe that event would be forgotten in its entirety because of what was happening to Hugo. Apparently she was incorrect.

"What now, Albus? I really don't want to talk about him," she said honestly. Thinking about him right now made her heart hurt. With as upset as he was earlier, she was sure he was finding comfort in the arms of some woman somewhere. Why did she have to fall for someone like him?

"We _need_ to talk about him. There is more going on than you realize. I know that you have feelings for him, though I really don't get why. I'll admit, I was starting to think that he might be halfway decent but it's all an elaborate rouse. He's a Malfoy, Rose. They're known for being shady and going to great lengths to get their way. He hates our families and he would love nothing more than to see us torn apart. You're too logical to fight and hell, you are way more skilled, so he's attacking you emotionally," Albus explained quickly before she could interrupt him.

"Albus… I don't think you understand –"

"No, I get it quite well. Lily is acting mental over some guy she barely knows and you're more rational than that but you fancy Malfoy quite a bit. He's faking everything, Rose, and he can get away with it because you two have to be partners. He knows that you can't just get rid of him," he continued.

Rose frowned at her cousin's objections. Had this just been a few months prior she would readily agree with him on all of his points but she was able to see a different side of Scorpius that no one else did. There were things he did that were impossible to fake. With how private he was, though, it was going to be impossible to prove this to anyone else.

"I can take care of myself, but I appreciate your concern. You don't know him like I do," she objected. Finally, Albus turned his attention directly to Rose.

"And that's a problem! For someone who claims to care so much about you, or so you say, why is he afraid to show anyone? Hm? Obviously, he is ashamed and why do you want to invest your time into someone like that?" he asked, wanting to shake some sense into his cousin.

Rose wasn't normally like this and he supposed if it were anyone else in the school he would be a bit more lenient, but this was Scorpius Malfoy. Over the last several years, he had done nothing but demonstrate animosity and hate towards their families. Why would that suddenly change because Rose and he became partners? It wasn't like it changed who they were as people.

Staring off at the lake once more, Rose found that she really wanted to counter but he held an incredibly valid point. She had been doing her best to cope with the fact that Scorpius did not want to be public with her. However, if he continued to want to act in secret, how long would she allow it? She did have deep feelings for him but that could only go so far. A flower cannot grow in sunlight so how could a relationship flourish in secret?

Deciding on silence, she trekked a bit further so that she was standing at the water's edge. This really wasn't a conversation that she wished to continue with Albus. With her brother's health failing, all she wanted was comfort and she was hating that meant she was craving Scorpius' embrace. Despite their differences in the past, he had been incredibly understanding and warm with the insanity that was plaguing her. Recalling the night before with her nightmare, she couldn't help but smile a bit to herself.

Albus wanted to strangle Malfoy with his bare hands. Even though Rose didn't say anything, he could tell the smitten look on her face was because of him. The bastard was pretty much cheating on her shamelessly and here she was pining over him. It was enough to make anyone sick or pissed off. Grumbling unhappily, he moved to stand beside Rose. He had tried to be nice but it appeared that he was going to have to hurt her in order for her to understand what was going on. Scooping down, he gathered a handful of rocks and began hurtling them into the lake.

"Rose, he's still sleeping around. I caught him just this morning when I was looking for you," he said seriously but finding himself unable to look at her as he continued to throw rocks. A moment of silence passed between them as he anxiously awaited her response.

Rose was at war with herself as she contemplated how to respond. She hated lying to Albus, even if it was to spare his feelings. The two of them had always been completely honest with one another, no matter what the subject was. She was weighing the repercussion of her responses. If she admitted to being the one Scorpius was with, he would certainly begin screaming and more than likely have an aneurism or something. On the other hand, if she acted like she was upset, then that potentially meant trouble for Scorpius when it was uncalled for.

Sighing heavily, she wished that her heart had liked a simpler person. Oh yeah, it liked Julien for a while and that turned into an absolute disaster. No, simple was not her forte. It just would have been so much easier if she didn't have feelings for a Malfoy. Almost any other family would have been compatible but no, she ended up falling for her rival.

"Albus… I… need to tell you something," she said began gently. If she was expecting Scorpius to come out in the open, then she needed to as well, even if it meant causing discord with her family.

"Rose, there is nothing you could say that is going to convince me of Malfoy being a decent person," he said with a shake of his head as he took the remaining handful of rocks and whipped them into the lake.

"Please… just listen to me," she begged as she watched him pick up a larger rock, roughly the size of his palm, before throwing that as well. It was obvious that he was becoming irritated with her and she hated that. "You know… you shouldn't do that. You'll disturb whatever is in the lake."

"Oh please… the worst that's in there is the Giant Squid and that thing is docile," he countered as he rolled his eyes.

This was the best that he could do to try and vent out his frustrations. He didn't want to yell or be angry with Rose but her density was making it incredibly difficult. Growling to himself, he found yet another rock to throw into the lake, watching as it made a loud "plopping" noise and creating a great splash. For some reason, he found this to be rather satisfactory. Looking around for another rock, he didn't notice the additional waves that had been created along the lake's surface.

"Albus, please, you're being unfair," she whined, wishing that for once in his life he wasn't so incredibly stubborn.

"I'm just trying to save you! Why can't you see that?!" he asked exasperatedly before frowning.

It appeared that he had run out of satisfactory rocks in the nearby vicinity. At least that was what he thought until he saw one land rather forcefully by his feet. Figuring that it was due to the waves of the lake, he reached down for it but gave pause as he felt water drizzling down on him. Apparently, the approaching storm had come in faster than he realized. It also grew rather dark incredibly suddenly…

"Albus!" Rose screeched as she tried to hurry over to him.

Albus was about to respond to his cousin's cry when he felt his stomach drop into his stomach as though he was falling. His mouth opened to speak, he found that it was filling with freezing, foul tasting water and he could no longer breathe.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **A/N: Wow, thanks guys for the awesome reviews! You guys are fantastic! I really appreciate all of the constructive criticism. It helps a lot. :) Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 19*~**

Everything was happening so quickly. One moment, Rose was arguing with Albus on the subject of Scorpius and the next, he was being flung into the Great Lake. A tentacle had slithered out of the water and thrown a rock at her cousin, to which she was thankful that he was not hit. The most she had been able to do was attempt to warn him before the same tentacle reached over, wrapped around Albus' middle, and pulled him into the lake. Given the time of year, the lake was going to be excruciatingly freezing which meant she had very little time to act before serious harm came to her cousin.

"Dammit, Albus!" she growled as she quickly contemplated her best course of action. Just moments before, she had warned him about throwing the stupid rocks into the water. He must have aggravated the squid. While she had only seen the thing a few times, she knew that it had a fickle temperament. Sometimes it was pleasant and even playful with students and other times it was just as likely to drag someone under as it was doing now.

Swiftly considering her next course of action, she had barely pulled her wand from her pocket when she felt something slick and cold wrap around her ankle. A gasp escaped her before she was pulled roughly off of her feet and dragged towards the water. Just as she would have shot a spell at the tentacle, a blast of light exploded against it first, forcing it to release her. Looking around, Rose saw that someone had indeed cast a spell and was heading her way.

"You are one hell of a magnet for trouble!" Scorpius yelled breathlessly as he reached her. Having run from across the grounds, he doubled over and panted for a moment. Damn, why did the school have to be so expansive?

Since their parting, Scorpius found himself, annoyingly, walking about the school aimlessly. Every time he toyed with the idea of finding someone to release his frustrations, the image of hurt, blue eyes haunted him. Damn him and his conscience. Who would have thought that he had one? This led to him walking everywhere and anywhere in hopes of clearing his head. He was on his way back to the castle when he had seen two people at the lake.

Normally, he wouldn't have given a damn, even after he saw one of them pulled into the lake, but he recognized Rose's fiery hair even from a distance. The proper assumption was that it had been Potter who was with her and, while he didn't mind the prat perhaps drowning, he knew that somehow Rose would blame him for it. Once again, his pesky conscience called for action and that led him to his current predicament.

"Tell me about it," Rose groaned as she was helped up once Scorpius recovered. "We have to do something! Albus was dragged under and he hasn't resurfaced!"

"Would that really be all that bad? It would solve several of our problems," he mumbled. Rose's eyes widened, aghast at his response.

"Scorpius!"

"Alright, alright, I'll save your damn cousin," he grumbled as he looked to the lake, calculating his options. There was only one really.

"We could both come up with something," Rose offered worriedly. Her heart was racing and terror was quickly setting in. Albus could develop hypothermia if he remained beneath the water too long as well as drowning. With how cold the water was, it would practically be stealing whatever air remained in his lungs.

"There's no time for that," Scorpius replied as he waved his wand and cast a spell so that the clothes he was currently wearing would become skin tight. The last thing he needed was for them to weigh him down and, because the water was so frigid, he was not going in there half naked.

"Wait, what are you—" Rose started but was unable to finish as Scorpius kicked off his shoes and broke into a run before diving into the water. As if she didn't have enough to worry about, now she had to add the obnoxious Slytherin to the list.

The surface of the lake had returned to its normal smooth and glassy appearance which terrified Rose. Either both of the men had been killed or the battle extended much further below the surface. Neither option was appealing in the slightest. Unable to do anything, Rose paced the shore anxiously while she toyed with the idea of following in or getting a professor. There weren't any rules regarding the Great Lake but she was starting to think that perhaps there should be.

Just seconds before he broke the water's surface, Scorpius had thought to cast the Bubblehead charm so that he would be able to breathe underwater. Thank Merlin for that too because the moment the ice water surrounded him, the air was painfully stolen from his lungs. Despite having his body clothed, it still felt like tiny knives were stabbing every inch of him. Damn, Potter was going to pay heavily for this grievance.

At first, all he could see was darkness which he found to be rather disorienting. It was reminiscent of whenever that reaper would appear. Protected from the water filling his mouth, Scorpius was able to recite an incantation and produce light from his wand. This didn't seem to help much as there appeared to be nothing but underwater vegetation surrounding him. How far could they have possibly gone in such a short amount of time? Knowing how large the squid was, this was a stupid question.

Thankful that he was a rather strong swimmer, Scorpius pressed on. Faintly, he could see a glowing blue light and as he approached it, there was motion. Casting a much stronger illumination spell, he could make out the massive body of the squid with several of its tentacles wrapped around Potter. His heart stopped for a moment as he realized that he wasn't moving. While Scorpius might not have any attachments to him, Rose would be devastated.

The light of his wand drew the attention of the squid and he noticed that the blue light he had been following was actually its eyes. Hauntingly, he recalled the same glow emitting from the chimera he and Rose had encountered in the hall. This realization gave him immediate pause. He had a terrible feeling that this meant that the squid was stronger than before. Just was in the hell was going on with this god-forsaken school? Why was the Giant Squid a part of it?

Distracted by his thoughts, Scorpius didn't see one of the tentacles coming his way until it was too late. It wrapped around his middle, pinning his arms to his side and forcing his wand to fall from his grasp. With that also went his light source, plunging him into total darkness with nothing but the suspended, eerie blue eyes of the squid. The grip around him tightened as he felt several more tentacles wrap around him. If he didn't figure something out, he was going to be crushed to death.

" _Flipendo!_ " he bellowed before gasping sharply as the tension surrounding his body was removed.

The spell had blasted the Squid away, promptly releasing him. Panting to regain some of the air he lost, he was thankful that he was well versed in some wandless magic. He summoned his wand to him with more wandless magic. The light had gone out the moment it was cast from his hands so he had no idea where it had gone. With how quickly it returned to him, it appeared that it had not gone far.

Looking around, he was concerned when he didn't see anything. Either the squid had swum away or it was cleverly concealing its eyes because he didn't see the light. Casting his illumination spell once more, he looked around for Potter. The frigidness of the water felt as though it was seeping into his very soul, making him feel rather lethargic and numb. No, he had to keep fighting through if not for himself then for Rose. Yeah, he supposed he should probably stay alive for Potter's sake too.

Pressing forwards, he saw Potter's body nearby and rapidly sinking to the bottom of the lake. It was a sobering observation because it meant that there was no air in his lungs and, due to his lack of movement, he was unconscious. At least Scorpius hoped that was what it was and that he wasn't dead. Grabbing Potter beneath the arms, he groaned at the dead weight despite the buoyancy of the water. It also did not help that the prat was fully clothed and that was severely weighing him down.

Despite his mental complaints, he kicked off towards the surface. This was a lot harder to do than he would have thought despite his athletic appearance. It felt like an eternity before his head broke the edge of the water and he could breathe in the crisp air. His charm popped and he looked around to find out just how far he had swum to save the Gryffindor. Surprisingly, he was a good distance away from the shore which only caused him to growl out loud. His body was already aching and burning from the effort he had put forth.

"You owe me one, Potter," he grumbled, despite knowing the git couldn't hear him. Maybe the lack of oxygen to his brain would allow for him to forget what he saw this morning with himself and Rose. Granted Potter didn't know that it was Rose, but it was still causing problems.

Rose saw the duo break the surface of the water and she let out the breath she had been holding anxiously. Even her pacing was stalled as she realized that, for the most part, the two appeared to be alright. Scorpius looked exhausted but she couldn't tell Albus' state. As they swam closer, she saw that it was primarily Scorpius carrying her cousin and fear set in once more.

Wading out into the water, she took Albus from Scorpius as soon as she was able to. The water felt like ice and she couldn't imagine being submerged in it for as long as they had been. Dragging Albus a safe distance away, she laid him on his back and brushed his wet hair from his face. As she pressed her ear to his chest, she found that she couldn't hear the rhythmic beating of his heart. There was nothing.

"No, no, no, no, no! Not you too! Come on Al, stay with me!" she begged in a frightened whisper. She couldn't lose him, not now nor ever. Honestly, she was not sure how much more her heart was going to take this day. First, it was her brother and now it was her cousin. This was enough to convince her that their families were cursed.

Scorpius could see that Rose was breaking down and it was destroying his heart. Despite his sheer exhaustion, he lifted his wand and pointed it at Potter. They were just a meter or so away from him as he was currently kneeling in the water, having been too tired to go on. While Rose was absolutely brilliant, he knew that her emotions were taking over and causing her inability to think. He hated seeing his strong woman feeling so vulnerable and frail.

" _Anapneo!_ " he called out, hoping the spell would work. It was designed to clear the airways of the intended target, typically in the situation of choking, but he hoped it would push the water out of Potter's lungs. Essentially, it would be clearing his airways.

Almost immediately, Albus spewed out water followed by intense coughing and even more water. He rolled over on his side and continued to heave. Rose pounded on his back to help work the water out, her eyes wide in the process. She hated that once more she had frozen in a time of need. This was unlike her. She had prided herself on being able to think quickly in intense situations, such as the first task. Slowly, day by day, it felt as though she was being broken down.

Casting a thankful gaze at Scorpius, she was not sure where she would be without him. He was a more than unlikely adversary but she was finding that she wouldn't have anyone else. There was a lot about him that changed since the day she had met him, or maybe there wasn't really much of a change. She had a feeling that he had always been like this, but hid it beneath his Malfoy exterior. Since they had spent more time fighting with each other than talking, she wouldn't have known anything other than what he demonstrated to the world.

Relieved that his spell worked, Scorpius fell back onto his arse, effectively sitting in the water. With as cold as he was, honestly, it didn't even faze him. He was just thankful that he had been able to play hero for Rose and save her cousin. With all of the fighting that had happened earlier that morning, he was not sure she would have ever forgiven him. That bothered him more than he would have liked to admit.

Leaning back, he tilted his head backwards and could do nothing but blink several times as he was met with a glowing, blue gaze. Somehow, silently, which spoke volumes for the size of the creature, the Giant Squid had swum as close to the shore as it could without being beached. The tentacles were waving around it hypnotically as it loomed intimidatingly above him. If Scorpius recalled correctly, the squid definitely did not normally have as many tentacles as it did currently. It looked like at least fifty and the beak it normally possessed was open in fury but revealed several rows of serrated teeth. Since when did that happen?

"Oh… shit…" was all he could mutter before the tentacles came crashing down and whipping around him.

All he could hear was the roaring of the water as the creature beat at him like the Whomping Willow. Pain assailed him but it wasn't long before it was replaced with sheer, slicing agony. Once more he had been pulled into the frigid water of the lake and it stung worse than before. His body was freezing and weak from having saved Potter which left him with no reserve of energy for himself.

Rose could barely believe what was happening. She was beginning to believe this was an "out of the frying pan and into the fire" sort of scenario. No sooner had Albus been saved then Scorpius was in danger once more. What had happened to the squid? It never behaved so venomously ever. Even when it was being temperamental, it was never life threatening.

Thinking much more quickly this time, she scooped up Scorpius' fallen wand and headed into the water herself. She noticed the eyes of the squid were not normal and similar to that of the chimera's. Scorpius was in more danger than she had thought before as it was made painfully evident that the squid was not itself. It looked mutated just as the chimera had been. Obviously, there was a connection and once this situation was ironed out, she would be researching full time to figure out what it was.

Having only waded into the water up to her waist, her breath had once more been stolen away by the sheer coldness. How the hell had Scorpius been able to endure it for as long as he had? It was no wonder he appeared so weak by the time he had returned. Just as she was about to dive under, she heard screams and yelling behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that half the school had gathered nearby. Due to the Yule Ball, most of the students had stayed at the castle during the holiday. The Giant Squid, having revealed itself, must have been what caught the attention of everyone. No one had ever really seen the creature before now.

With the devastation of the Great Hall still fresh in everyone's minds, it was no wonder that no one came close enough to help. No one wanted to be collateral damage and remained several hundred yards away. The exception was for a pair that was hurtling towards them at breakneck speed. It didn't take Rose long to recognize them.

"Rose!" Lily called out as she ran with Alek towards them. She had been on her way to see Hugo again when she heard the fast scuffling of feet tearing past her. Groups of students had been heading outside at such a pace that indicated that something was happening. Normally, it wasn't good and as she followed and saw the Giant Squid, it was confirmed that it certainly wasn't.

Rose was having a serious feeling of déjà vu as the two approached her. Just moments before it had been her asking Scorpius for help with Albus and now, things had changed yet again. It was starting to feel like a vicious cycle and, for a moment, she couldn't help but wonder if she had been caught in another vision. The squid possessed the same glowing eyes so it would not have been surprising. It was the fact that she couldn't tell that was currently tearing her up inside. She felt as though she might lose her mind entirely.

Lily moved forward to grab Rose's wrist and forcefully pull her out of the water and away from harm. She was not sure what was going on but her brother was lying barely conscious nearby and it appeared that Rose was about to dive in. Struggling with her combative cousin, Lily barely managed to get her out of the water.

"What are you doing?!" Lily yelled as Rose continued to fight her.

"Scorpius!" she screamed back just as Alek charged passed the two of them, half naked, and dove into the water.

Serious feeling of déjà vu. Rose stopped struggling with Lily as the two looked on, horrified at the situation. Someone was going to die at this rate. There was no way that they could continue like this. With the sea of students behind them, she hoped that someone had been smart enough to get the headmaster. Someone was trying to destroy the school from the inside out. It was the only rational explanation. Just when she felt that the situation couldn't get any worse, the entire lake froze over, completely solid. With that came frigid winds that howled and tore at them.

"What… the hell?" Rose breathed as she could do nothing more but continue to stare wide eyed, despite how cold she was now feeling.

"Alek!" Lily screamed before attempting to run towards the ice. Despite her daze, on reflex, Rose grabbed the girl and refused to let go.

"Go make sure Albus is okay. There is nothing you or I can do right now. Take him to see Madame Rosaline," she said quickly with a calmness she most certainly didn't feel.

Lily was shaking in her arms and there were tears streaming down her face, but she conceded to the commands of her cousin and did as she was told. Rose was thankful for the lack of an outburst that had become so common with her younger cousin lately. She watched as Lily went over to Albus and knelt beside him. He was conscious but considerably dazed as he tried to gather the situation. With a great amount of effort, she was able to help her brother to his feet before they headed for the Hospital Wing.

Rose's gaze returned to the frozen lake before her. Her heart was breaking at the knowledge that there were two people beneath its surface, fighting off the Giant Squid. It was almost too much for her to bear. Just as she thought she might give in, she heard a loud, heavily accented voice bellowing above the chaos.

"Stand aside and stay back!" Professor Brewer moved through the parted sea of students as he made his way towards the frozen lake with Professor Deming and Hagrid in tow.

Rose's eyes widened at the sight of Hagrid. She had only seen him for a brief moment when the term started but hardly had a moment for him with the tournament consuming her. He was still the Care of Magical Creatures professor as he had been when her parents went to school but she was no longer taking his class. Truth be told, the subject never really stuck with her so as soon as she was able to drop it, she did. Guilt assailed her for a moment for having not taken the time out to talk to him. She was sure that Albus and Hugo did, though. The two couldn't seem to get enough of him most days.

Nearing a hundred years old, Rose was surprised that he was still teaching. She supposed with him being a half-giant that age did not affect him the same way as it did everyone else. He never appeared weary which was a good thing considering that he was also still the groundskeeper. Even if he was no longer teaching, she had a feeling that he wouldn't leave Hogwarts. It had become a home to many and Hagrid was no exception.

However, she did wonder where he had been since the Christmas holiday had started. He had not been present for the Yule Ball but she had wished that he was. Rose had a feeling that if Hagrid had been around, things would have been considerably different. Frowning, she found it increasingly odd that now was the time he decided to show up. Was there something going on in the background that she was unaware of? With how the school year was progressing, her answer was yes, yes there was.

Approaching her, Hagrid had over his shoulder a massive crossbow. While he standardly carried one around that would have been large by most standards, this one was almost as big as he was. It even appeared as though he might have been straining, though minimally, beneath its weight. Rose thought it might have been torn from a ship of sorts because it looked as though it was loaded with a harpoon that had some sort of netting attached to it.

"Hello, Rose. Quite an excitin' mornin' we're havin'," Hagrid greeted cheerfully as though discussing the weather. His cheeks were rosy as though he had spent said morning outside in the winter wind.

"Uh… yeah… exciting," Rose said slowly, confused by his demeanor which, she shouldn't have been. This was how Hagrid normally was. He never thought that anything dangerous actually was. His past preceding him, he often thought dangerous creatures, such as the Giant Squid, were cute and harmless.

"Hagrid, this is a serious situation," Professor Deming chastised.

Currently, Professor Deming was wrestling with her long blonde hair that was whipping about her face. The winds had picked up and were becoming increasingly cold. While it was winter, the weather had changed so drastically that the only explanation was that someone was intentionally causing it. Even if the lake were to freeze over, it would not have been instantaneous and before everyone's eyes.

"Sorry, Professor. It's hard to believe that it's the squids fault. He's norm'ly rather friendly, bit playful, actually," he said with a bit of a chuckle.

"I assure you, he's not feeling friendly now. He has Scorpius and Alek underneath that ice," Rose said worriedly as she turned her attention back to the lake. Nothing had disturbed the ice and she hoped and prayed that both of the men had used some sort of charm to keep from drowning. At this rate, however, the hypothermia might get them before the squid did.

"Now, don't you worry. We're gonna handle this and those boys are gonna be a'right," Hagrid assured her as he attempted to gently pat her on the back. This succeeded in knocking the wind out of Rose and causing her to stumble a bit.

"There is definitely dark magic at work here," Professor Deming said quickly to Professor Brewer.

The two stood a little way away but Rose could still make out their words despite the distance and wind. Her heart sank at the idea. Something terrible was happening but why and to whom was it happening to? Albus had been present at both attacks but so did herself and Scorpius. Who was being targeted?

"Aye, that there is. I do believe a Weather-Modifying Charm is at work here," Professor Brewer mused as he looked around in hopes of finding the assailant.

"You would be correct, Edgar. I can resolve this," said Professor Deming before she produced her wand and pointed it at the sky above the lake. " _Meteolojinx Recanto_!"

Suddenly, the bitter winds stopped and everything became so silent it was deafening. Not a single student said a word as they gazed on in awe. The weather had even warmed up a fraction as well. Rose could barely tell the difference as her body shivered forcibly. She was soaked up to her hips from having been in the water and it was still cold outside even without the modifications. Even with the professor casting her spell, the lake remained frozen.

"I do believe that this is where I come in," Professor Brewer said as he approached the edge of the ice whilst removing a large, rounded vial from his robes. It was crimson in color and appeared to be boiling. However, the vial was cool to the touch as the professor was not wearing gloves while handling it and it had been settled within his robes.

With his wand in one hand and the vial in the other, the Irishman cast a spell to lift the vial into the air before hurtling into the center of the lake. Rose wasn't sure how effective that was going to be considering that it was such a small potion. While she recognized what the potion was, she did not realize the alterations the professor had made until the vial shattered. Upon breaking, a massive and brilliant red and blue fire burst into life. Immediately, it slithered across the surface of the ice, melting it upon impact, and stretched out to the edges of the shore. Once more, the lake resumed its natural form but still remained unwavering.

"You… melted the entire lake… with a potion," Rose breathed in awe. She already had a love for potions but after what she just witnessed, her passion was secured. Professor Brewer glanced back at her and winked.

"But where are they?" Professor Deming asked aloud as she scanned the surface for a trace of either one of the boys or the beast.

Before anyone could respond, a resonating caw sounded above them, drawing the attention of everyone. Soaring ahead was a raven. The bird was roughly the size of a cat, which struck Rose as odd seeing as how ravens were not normally that large. Another caw echoed throughout the grounds as the bird flew a great distance across the lake. It circled the area until it found whatever it was that it had been searching for.

There was a small island, barely visible beneath the water's surface. Sometimes, if the levels of the lake decreased it could be seen, but it was very rarely. It appeared that there were two bodies on top of it. One of them sat up while the other remained prone and unmoving. The raven circled the island and continued cawing.

Rose felt her heart leap into her throat partially in relief at seeing the both of them. However, with only one of them moving, she felt fear strike her once more. Why was everyone around her being harmed?

On top of that, now there was this mysterious raven helping them. She had never seen a bird behave in such a manner, but before she could even attempt a further inspection, it flew off towards the castle and disappeared behind one of the spires. Rose wished that she could say that was the oddest thing she had seen this day but sadly it was not.

"Hagrid, we need to sedate the squid. It is still currently a danger even if it has not made itself known," Professor Deming commanded. As talented as she was, she preferred to leave the taming of such a massive beast to the Care of Magical Creatures professor. She was a tiny thing, it could easily snap her in half.

"A'right, professor. Consider it done," he said merrily as he adjusted the crossbow that was resting against his shoulder.

Taking a few steps, Hagrid headed towards the lake and stopped promptly at the water's edge. He looked around as though sensing something before nodding a bit to himself. Gently, he eased the crossbow down so that it was resting against the ground as he fished around in his massive coat for something. Much to the chagrin of those observing his ritual, he pulled out a massive fish that was easily the length of his arm.

Rose wasn't sure which perturbed her most: the fact that he had a fish in his pocket or that he was able to have said fish in his pocket. While she had never seen Hagrid perform anything beyond simple spells, she wondered if one of the professors had done him a favor and created him expansive magical pockets. Either way, the stench of the fish was almost enough for her to empty out her stomach.

"We need to lure him out so that we can capture him safely an' make sure no harm comes to him," Hagrid explained as he jiggled the fish around, which he was holding by its tail.

There was something to be said about Hagrid's unwavering kindness. He held no prejudice to any creature or human and seemed to always find the good in them. Rose was sure that had to be a curse as well as a blessing. As gentle of a heart as Hagrid had, he was easy to fluster and, on more than one occasion, she had seen him tormented in class. Once she brought it up to her parents who confirmed that it was, unfortunately, normal and to just be his star student. She had felt guilty about not taking the class again but she would not need it for her ambition of becoming a Potions Master. Hagrid, however, was a very close friend of the family and she silently promised that she would make more efforts to see him before the term ended.

With a mighty heave, Hagrid launched the fish into the lake. While Rose knew that he was half-giant, it was still impressive to see the strength he possessed. The fish landed nearly in the middle of the water and bobbed there for a few moments. At first, nothing happened. After approximately ten minutes, which felt like an eternity, bubbles began rolling along the surface of the water. The bubbles surrounded the floating fish before the roar of water falling followed as the squid pulled itself from the depths of the lake and hovered over the bait. Its tentacles flailed around wildly as it inspected its potential meal.

Strangely, the squid appeared normal. Its eyes were no longer glowing that eerie blue and the number of tentacles it possessed was back to normal. There was something incredibly odd about the scenario. The squid looked on with great curiosity at the fish before it and didn't seem to notice the audience it had acquired. In fact, it looked rather excited that it was being handed its meal with no hassle or so it thought.

"Easy does it… thatta boy…" Hagrid mumbled as he hoisted his crossbow up once more and took aim.

It only took him a moment before he launched the harpoon and it soared the distance to the squid. Just as it would have flown over the creature entirely, the arrow of the harpoon opened up and a cloud of dust exploded from it and covered the squid. Having been caught off guard, the cephalopod began screeching in anger but was unable to move. Following the release of the powder was the netting which expanded in midair and fell over the squid.

"What did you do?" Rose asked in amazement. The squid could no longer move and while it was definitely angry, she felt better. This would allow for them to save Scorpius and Alek without the threat of someone else being injured.

"Paralysis Powder. I altered the physical state of the standard Paralysis Potion so that it might be more effective against multiple targets or, as in this situation, a single massive target. Patent pending," Professor Brewer answered with a hint of a smug smile on his face. Rose found him to be rather odd but enjoyable. After all, he was the professor she worked the closest with besides Professor Longbottom.

"Now he can't move or hurt no one. We need to look at him and see what's upsettin' him. Though he looks normal," Hagrid said as he tugged at his beard a bit.

"I promise he wasn't normal before you showed up. You can ask anyone," Rose said quickly, not wishing for anyone to discredit her. What was going on? Why did the squid change back suddenly while the chimera did not?

"I believe yeh, Rose," Hagrid assured her before he set down his crossbow and detached a rope that she hadn't even been aware was attached.

Straining with the weight, Hagrid began reigning in the rope which was attached to the netting that currently held the Giant Squid. Huffing and puffing, he continued pulling until the squid was as close as possible while still beneath the water. With instruction from Professor Deming, he began walking along the shore with her, the squid in tow. After a while, the two disappeared as they rounded the bend.

"Miss Weasley, you do not have the luck of the Irish," Professor Brewer mused as he placed a hand on her shoulder, earning a great sigh.

"Sir, if I did not have bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all," she mumbled.

Alek, having noticed the coast was clear, slid back into the water with Scorpius' unconscious body. The Giant Squid was taken care of, so he would be able to swim to the shore without any hindrance. His muscles aching from his current endeavor, he finally made it to land where he was promptly helped out of the water along with Scorpius. The unconscious man was removed from his possession by Professor Brewer but he hardly had a moment to react before a body was pressed against his own and practically crushing him.

"Thank you for saving him. This would have only benefited you in the tournament. Thank you so much," Rose said emotionally, the shock of the situation slowly starting to recede. Alek lightly returned the hug though very briefly.

"Do not thank me. You mean a lot to Lily and this man seems to mean a lot to you. I vanted to help. I am used to swimming in much colder vater back home," he explained.

Rose gave Alek another thankful look before she followed after Professor Brewer, whom was holding Scorpius in his arms. His skin had taken on a frightening shade of blue. The professor commanded the students to return to the castle instead of standing around gawking. Pressing through the crowd, close at the professor's heels, Rose couldn't help but hear the whispers and notice the stares.

"Something bad happened again and Weasley was there."

"You think she's doing this for attention?"

"Maybe she's cursed."

"Look who her family is."

"I bet she asks for this. She's top of the class and can't stand competition. Probably wants to get rid of Malfoy so the glory of winning the tournament goes to her."

With each harsh statement, Rose felt a stab at her heart. These devastating events were most certainly nothing she wished for. She hated that it was starting to create public suspicion and while she wanted to blame all of them, she couldn't. It looked terrible that she seemed to always be around when something terrible happened. Those closest to her were normally the ones caught in the cross fire and it created guilt that sat heavy within her.

Trying to drown them out, she concentrated on following the man before her. The last thing she wanted was to be bombarded by questions by anyone. What she wanted was to make sure that Scorpius was going to be alright and to check up on her cousin. Hopefully, she would do all of this in the same place as Albus should have been taken to the Hospital Wing by Lily. Glancing over her shoulder, she could also see that Alek was following.

Moments later, the small group arrived at the Hospital Wing. The moment Madame Rosaline spotted them, she gave an exasperated look before tending to each of them. Rose couldn't quite make out what the woman was saying under her breath, but she looked rather unhappy. While the nurse got Scorpius into bed, Rose went over to Albus, who was indeed sleeping soundly, at the end of the room. Lily was dutifully sitting by his side and perked up when she saw them.

"How's he doing?" Rose asked as she gazed down at him. Just a while ago, she had been staring down at her brother, who was no longer in the wing. He must have already been sent to St. Mungo's.

"Madame Rosaline says he's gonna be fine. She gave him a Pepperup Potion and something to help him sleep," Lily explained as she indicated to the steam pouring out of Albus' ears.

"Good… good…" she said in a daze as she rubbed her face. This was an absolutely terrible morning.

"Is everything alright?" Alek asked as he joined the girls. He too, had steam coming out of his ears as he approached them. The nurse had given him a large, fluffy white robe to wear over his now dry clothes.

"Yeah, he's fine. You scared me to death!" Lily cried as she jumped up and hugged him tightly, to which he immediately returned.

Rose watched the two for a moment, not that she could really help it as they were being incredibly public and obvious. Lily was incredibly smitten with the man and despite any suspicions she might have had, he did save Scorpius' life without hesitation. It was the complete opposite of what Julien would have done and for that, Rose was grateful.

"Hey, you two can go. I'll watch over Albus. I was going to stay here for a bit anyways," Rose said gently. Lily hesitated before hugging her cousin and thanking her. The duo left a moment later.

"His father is not going to be happy," she heard Madame Rosaline mumble to herself as she finished situating Scorpius. The nurse bustled about the wing before eventually settling at her desk. It appeared that she was writing a letter and more than likely to Mr. Malfoy.

Slowly, Rose walked over to Scorpius' sleeping form. He had been placed in the bed across the aisle from Albus' which made looking after the two of them simpler. It looked like he received the same treatment as everyone else as he had steam billowing out of his ears too. Easing down into a chair, she felt the full weight of the day crush her. Leaning forward with her elbows on her knees, she buried her face in her hands and sobbed quietly.

This year was so far from normal she was beginning to think that normal was a memory or an illusion. It was not normal for someone to withstand as much trouble as she and her family had been. The only ones who would truly understand would be her aunt, uncle, and parents. There had to be some sort of curse on her family but why was it in effect now? All of these occurrences could not all be attributed to the Triwizard Tournament but she was sure that it was not helping.

Slowly, it felt as though she was losing her mind. Twice she had been caught in an illusion and the most recent one was still incredibly fresh. While she did her best to ignore them, periodically, images would flash of that dreadful scene. Now, Scorpius was lying unconscious beside her. How long before students were pulled out of school or worse, she was expelled under suspicion of conspiracy to harm those around her? No, she had come too far to be kicked out of the school. She was supposed to be graduating this year. The fact that everything was spiraling out of control was not her fault but it was almost too much too endure.

"Here, take this. It will make you feel better. You can lie down on one of the beds if you like," Madame Rosaline said as she handed Rose a potion. The red-head hadn't even heard her come over and her sobbing must not have been as quiet as she would have liked.

"Th-thank you," she choked out as she downed the potion.

Immediately, she was filled with a deep warmth that started from her chest and radiated out. With how much shock she had been in, she hadn't even realized that she was incredibly cold. It was brief, but she had waded out into the lake. She felt the steam that she had seen on everyone else but she could taste that there was something else in the potion. With the warmth came a wave of calm that she knew she would not have felt on her own. The nurse must have mixed a Calming potion with the Pepperup.

As much as a bed would have been more comfortable, she didn't want to leave Scorpius' side. Reaching over, just as her eye lids were growing heavy, she took his hand into her own. She was thankful to find that it was warm and his skin was returning to its normal, healthy color. Rose situated herself so that the arm she wasn't using was resting on the mattress so that she could use it as a pillow. Leaning her head down, she continued to hold his hand as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Rose wasn't sure how much time had passed before she woke up, but the lights in the wing had been dimmed. Groggily, she noticed that Scorpius' hand was no longer in her own but instead resting lightly on the back of her head. It appeared that he must have woken up at some point and had been stroking her hair. The idea was sweet and had her cheeks feeling warm. As much as she didn't want to move, she knew she had to.

Groaning, she felt her body ache and pop as she righted herself in the chair. Falling asleep hunched over was definitely not comfortable. Across the way, she could see that Albus was still sleeping as well. There weren't any other students in the room which she found to be a good thing. It meant that no one else had become injured while she was out. A great yawn escaped her as she tried to locate the source of what had woken her up.

A ray of light illuminated the walkway between the hospital beds but then was quickly snuffed out followed by a loud slam that echoed off the walls. Frowning, Rose realized that it must have been the sound of the heavy doors being opened that had startled her. As she stretched, she noticed that Madame Rosaline was speaking in a hurried whispered to the person that had entered the wing. With the room being as dimly lit as it was, she couldn't make out who it was just that they were rather unhappy. It didn't take long for the identity of the individual to be revealed as the pair rushed over to where she was sitting.

Leading Madame Rosaline was Scorpius's father, Draco Malfoy. Rose felt her heart drop into her stomach at his appearance. While she typically wasn't intimidated by anyone, she had seen first-hand how this man behaved around her father. As worried as Scorpius was over his reputation, she figured his father was just as strict at home as he was to the world around him. Regardless, she refused to show her fear as she sat up straight and prepared for whatever was to come next.

Never having really been a fan of Hogwarts, Draco was finding himself losing his patience with the forsaken school. Since Scorpius began attending the school, he would receive unfortunately frequent owls concerning the welfare of his son. Most of the time it was due to the Weasley boy and his two Potter cousins. The whole lot of them couldn't keep their hands to themselves, resulting in several detentions and threat of expulsion. Now, since the beginning of this particular year, the scenarios were becoming increasingly dire.

While becoming a Triwizard Champion looked good for the Malfoy name, it didn't matter as much to himself as it did to his father. What concerned him, was that his son was in potential danger, rather constantly, and had to rely on the help of someone that could not stand him. He was sure that Weasel had fed into their feud through their children, but now his son's life was at stake. The prat could say whatever he wanted about him, but Draco would be damned if he allowed it to spiral so far out of control that he lost his only heir. That was not to say that he didn't feed into the feud to a certain degree but that was another matter.

Old habits were incredibly difficult to break. While it may not have been his sole goal in life anymore to ruin Potter and Weasley, it didn't mean that he was overly fond of them. He could be cordial, if necessary, but whenever he saw Weasel, his adolescence came rushing up to meet him and he couldn't control his responses. The Weasleys and Malfoys had been at war with each other for as long as he could remember. Astoria would often give him hell considering this matter, especially when they were receiving owls informing them of the trouble Scorpius was in with said Weasleys and Potters. She said he helped fueled it and, perhaps, he did sometimes.

Not much gave Draco sanctuary or joy in his life, considering his upbringing and childhood, but his wife and son were the best things that had ever happened to him. Now, if his father would kindly butt out of his life, things might progress more smoothly. As it is, he felt uneasy with his father and mother spending as much time with Scorpius as they did. It had a negative influence on Scorpius as he was terribly reminiscent of how Draco was as a teenager.

Neither one of his parents agreed with his nor Astoria's views and upbringing of Scorpius. Draco had a feeling that his father was attempting to turn Scorpius into the son he wished that he had. A very long time ago, Draco gave up caring so much what his father thought. After the Battle at Hogwarts, it took him years to recover from the damage of that night. So much destruction had fallen upon his family and as he became older, he also became wiser. He had been able to see what his parents, primarily his father, had done to him.

Astoria helped him work towards the man he had wished he was when growing up. She adjusted his views on pure blood statuses, which had been shocking considering her family name. It was a shame that he had failed to instill this view into his own son. He had no one to blame but himself and the guilt that followed, he would carry for the rest of his life. Once more, he had a feeling that his parents were also to blame for this, but as Scorpius' father, it was his duty to eradicate such thoughts.

While he was independently wealthy, Draco had attempted to find more to his life than just the Malfoy name and wealth. Over the years, he had become increasingly interested in alchemy and found the writings to be fascinating. In combination with his enthrallment of dark artifacts, he found himself traveling a tremendous amount in search of these items. This led to his constant traveling with Astoria and his parents partially raising Scorpius. While Astoria was an incredibly strong willed individual, she needed help and his parents were pushy.

Yes, he would admit that perhaps his priorities had not always been straight but given the life that he had, it was difficult. His mother and himself were always close but he had not known his father to take his wellbeing into consideration above all else. Having an improper father figure led to partial neglect for most of Scorpius' life. It had only been within the last couple of years that he had attempted to make that change. Astoria's threat to leave him was also a great factor. Scorpius, thankfully, was unware of any discord with himself and his mother.

The night they were able to visit Scorpius prior to the first task, Astoria had torn him a new one at his behavior. At the time, he knew that it was wrong but he couldn't stop himself. She had yelled at him for a solid hour, indicating that it was his fault that Scorpius behaved as he did around the Weasleys and Potters at school. While he and Scorpius were not as close as he would have liked, he recognized the same desire within him to impress his father. Draco knew too well what that felt like as he wanted nothing more than to demonstrate to his own father that he was worthy of his name. Of course Scorpius would do anything, even be nasty towards those who did not deserve it, just to feel as though he was in his good graces.

The most recent owl indicated that Scorpius had been attacked, once more, by something else in the school. What he found to be rather odd was that it was the Giant Squid that had attacked him. In the years he had been at the school, there had never been such a situation. Sure, people had fallen into the lake but there was nothing about any sort of violent attack. The squid didn't go after people as far as he knew.

He stopped suddenly as he was about to approach his son's bed. The last person he would have expected to see sitting by his side was the daughter of his rival. She looked exhausted which indicated to him that she had been with him the entire time. Frowning, he finished walking over, his hands in his pockets as he looked down at her for a moment before looking to his son. Currently, it looked as though Scorpius was fine and merely sleeping to which he was exceedingly grateful for.

Rose, despite her efforts, shifted a bit nervously in her seat. She had never been alone with Scorpius' father and she was not sure that she wanted to be. Remaining silent, she observed the well-dressed man before her. It was obvious that Scorpius took after him a great deal, except that his father dressed more impeccably. Scorpius liked to keep his hair immaculate, like his father, but would often wear his uniform casually. The man before her was pristine from his hair to his polished shoes. He wore a black suit with a black silk dress shirt beneath it accompanied by a maroon tie. The paleness of his skin was a stark contrast but she could see that Scorpius most certainly got his good looks from him.

"Mr. Malfoy…" Rose acknowledged gently, refusing to allow fear to keep her silent. If she could deal with Scorpius at his worst, then she could deal with his father. Besides, she liked to think that he wouldn't pick on a young woman, but she had been wrong about a Malfoy before.

"Miss Weasley, I did not expect to find you here," Draco said simply as he returned his attention to the young red-head.

"It was my fault that he ended up here. It was the least that I could do," she answered softly. It definitely wasn't the only reason but his father didn't need to know about her feelings towards him. Scorpius was terrified of what his father would think of him, the last thing he would want was for her to say anything.

"And what do you mean by that, exactly? I was informed that it was the Giant Squid," Draco inquired as he looked her over.

"He… he was saving me, sir," she began politely; "The squid had pulled Albus in and nearly myself when Scorpius came by. He saved me and then went in after my cousin. I owe my life and Al's to him," she explained as her gaze drifted over to her sleeping cousin before returning to Scorpius' father.

Draco would have to admit that he was pleasantly surprised. The children were innocent in the feud between himself and her father. He felt proud that he had instilled some good values into his son that, despite the feuding, he put his life at risk for another. Granted, he didn't like his life being at risk at all, but at least it was for a good cause.

"I see… you both are lucky indeed," he said matter-of-factly as he stroked his chin. "I'm glad he was there to help."

Rose was surprised by the calm and almost gentle demeanor that the man before her possessed. Having only met him with Scorpius around, she was finding that there were two sides to him. Perhaps, he was a good man except for when he was around her father. She supposed it would be hard to kill that habit considering that they went to school together for so many years. It wasn't right, but she could understand it. She and Scorpius hadn't been any better until this year.

"Sir… if I may," she asked, feeling bold. Curious, Draco nodded in her direction. "Scorpius… he's a really good man. You would be proud of him… I know the Malfoy name is incredibly important to your family. I only partially come from a pureblooded family, but I can imagine how significant it is. Scorpius would do anything to impress you, no matter what it was, even at the cost of his own happiness. This, I believe, makes him feel trapped and unable to achieve his true potential. Perhaps… you could ease up on him a bit."

Draco was exceedingly surprised by the bold response that came from the young woman. She knew exactly who he was and the significance he held but still she spoke daringly. Had this been years ago, his first response would have been to snap at her for speaking to him in such a manner. Thankfully, things had changed for him and he found himself laughing slightly, a hint of a smile on his lips.

"You are quite like your mother," he complimented, shaking his head a bit. "You are bold, I will give you that, and you don't back down. This was rather obvious with the first task. However, there are some things at work here that you do not understand."

"What could I possibly not understand? Scorpius is your son and he loves you and wants to make you proud. As his father, shouldn't his happiness come above all else despite your views or reputation?" she asked quickly, her voice raising a bit. She found herself out of her seat and standing before him, determination furrowing her brow slightly.

Once more, Draco was taken aback by her words. With her demeanor as she was, he could have sworn that he was looking at Granger. The woman before him, despite being young, held wisdom beyond her years and was incredibly brilliant. Over the years, Scorpius had complained about never being able to reach the top of his classes because of her. Yes, the spitting image of her mother indeed. He could see that she felt very passionate about what she was saying.

"Yes, of course, but things are not as simple as you make them out to be," he attempted to explain.

"I beg to differ! This is completely simple! It's adults who make it so damned complicated!" she growled as her cheeks flushed a bit. She couldn't believe how she was speaking and to whom she was speaking to.

Chuckling lightly, Draco found himself briefly amused. Granted, it wasn't a laughing matter, but he found the whole situation ironic really. He and her mother had found themselves on the receiving end of venomous words more than once. Hell, the woman had even punched him in the face. That was not something he was going to forget easily.

"Should I worry about you punching me?" he teased, earning a deep flush from the younger woman. This seemed to tone down her ire a bit.

"N-No, sir…" she mumbled embarrassedly. Her father loved to bring up that her mother had once punched Draco Malfoy. It seemed to make him feel better and she would even see her mother smile at the memory as well.

"I know you speak from the heart but I am not as strict as Scorpius may make me out to be. Some of it, I believe, is his own torture," he explained. "But… I have a favor to ask of you."

Rose gave him a questioning look, wondering what the current head of the Malfoy family could want from her. She hoped it wasn't something like telling her to stay away from Scorpius because that wasn't going to happen. As stubborn as she was, she wasn't sure there was anything that would keep her away from the Slytherin. Already she had invested so much time and emotion into him.

"What sort of favor?" she asked gently, her gaze falling to Scorpius' sleeping form. Just hours before he had been on the brink of death. Her mind flashed images of her terrible vision and she had to do her best not to react. His father would think she was looney.

"Stick by him. Be a friend to him, even if it means butting heads. I know my son is a good man, but he needs help that I cannot provide," he asked quietly.

Draco was not unaware that there was something more going on than what he was being told. He had his suspicions that the two of them might be more involved than "friends" and he wasn't even sure that Scorpius would admit to even that much. While it didn't particularly bother him, he had a feeling that Rose's father wouldn't be as level headed. Change was hard on both families but someone had to start somewhere. If their children could make the attempt, so could they.

If, when he was a teenager, he had someone who cared about him as much as the girl before him cared about his son, things might have turned out differently. There would have been less rage and fear which would have resulted, perhaps, in a semi-normal life. He wouldn't have gone charging to the Dark Lord that was for sure. Not that he really had much of any choice due to his father.

"Of course. I would do anything for him," Rose agreed before she could stop herself. Immediately, her cheeks darkened as she avoided his gaze. This was not the person to be admitting her attachment to.

"Thank you," Draco said sincerely as he placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look at him in surprise. "I think you're a good influence on him."

"Sir?" she questioned as she searched his face for answers. Instead, he shook his head a bit and released her.

"Tell him that I stopped by," he said before he looked to his son once more and then took his leave.

Rose had to convince herself that what transpired was not some dream she had while sitting with Scorpius. It had gone progressively smoother than she would have ever thought meeting his father directly would have gone. There was goodness in his father, she liked to believe, as she knew that there was goodness in Scorpius. The two were eerily similar and yet she could see the distinct differences.

"Well… that was interesting," a voice called out behind Rose, making her jump out of her skin. Swinging around rapidly, she saw that Scorpius had awakened and was sitting up. Her heart, now racing a mile a minute, felt as though it might burst from her body. Pressing her hand to her chest, she took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Merlin's beard, Scorpius! You scared me half to death!" she complained as she smacked his chest upon reflex.

"H-Hey! Is that how you treat someone who saved your life?" he asked as he tried to stop snickering from her reaction. There was a wide smile on his face.

"Somehow, I think you're okay," Rose grumbled as she sat down on the edge of his bed. "So… how much of that did you hear?"

"All of it," he replied simply.

The moment his father had come into the Hospital Wing, he had woken up. It wasn't the first time he had been awake but it was the longest period. A couple of hours before he had been stirred by a painfully full bladder and discovered that Rose had fallen asleep half in the chair and half on his mattress. Upon returning to his bed, he couldn't help but watch her for a few moments as she slept.

He had never known the sort of kindness that she demonstrated. Sure, his mother took great care of him and his father had his moments, but this was different. He had all kinds of "girlfriends" but none of them actually cared for him aside from his name or what he could do in bed. Rose was an entity all of her own. Unable to resist, he reached out and began petting her hair gently. Completely soothed, he had fallen back asleep.

His father's entrance had been semi-expected. He had figured he would be having a visit from him sooner or later due to the crazy events the school seemed to be playing host to. It was just much faster than he was anticipating. Despite being awake, he had felt torn between making his consciousness known and pretending to still be out. Curiosity of what his father would say to Rose won out.

The exchange was surprising as hell and he wasn't so sure that he didn't dream it up. After all, he had been practically comatose for several hours and feeling out of it. The fact that his father wanted Rose to be around him gave him a hope that he had no idea that he had been wishing for. If his father was okay with her being around him, then maybe things could change. The Malfoy name was still incredibly important but it appeared that his father might be attempting a peace offering.

As soon as the hope arose it was soon crushed. While his father and, more than likely, his mother might be okay with this association, he knew his grandfather would not be. The man had taught him many great things while his father was away on his travels. Scorpius did not want to disappoint him, for he saw how terribly his grandfather reacted to disappointment. His father and grandfather hardly spoke and when they did, it was incredibly tense. That was not what he wanted. As uncharacteristic as it might seem, Scorpius truly loved his family and did not wish to be the cause of any discord.

Rose's defense of him, to his own father, had been just as shocking. He didn't recall ever hearing anyone speak to his father in the manner that she did without some sort of retaliation. Instead, his father seemed more amused than anything. It felt as though he was a completely different person and that was confusing to say the least. It also warmed his heart to know that Rose cared so strongly about his well-being. Honestly, he didn't deserve someone like her but he was too selfish to let go either.

"Oh…. I see…." Rose said awkwardly as Scorpius did not expand any further. She wanted to know what he thought about concerning his father's request. It had given her hope that maybe Scorpius wouldn't be so nervous about them being public. However, she was not even sure what they would be public about. Were they dating? If they were, it sort of felt like she might have missed the memo on that one.

"Thank you, for sticking up for me like that. You didn't have to," Scorpius said after a moment, gently taking her hand into his own. Her fingers were dainty and beautiful but he knew them to possess great power when around a wand. For a moment he imagined them wrapped around a different sort of wand.

"Of course I did, you weren't going to," she said with a frown. Scorpius gazed at her, aghast at her words to which her eyes widened in response. "Oh wait, no, no! That came out wrong. What I meant is that you were sleeping so you couldn't." Rose felt incredibly flustered at having practically insulted him unnecessarily.

"Even if I wasn't sleeping, which I wasn't, I wouldn't have defended myself," he admitted softly as he squeezed her hand comfortingly. "So again, thank you."

"Sure thing," Rose said sweetly as she leaned over to kiss his cheek. Before she could do so, Scorpius slyly turned his head so that he was able to capture her lips with his own instead. Expecting her to smack him, as she so loved to do, he found her smiling and returning the kiss instead. After a while, he broke from said kiss.

"So… did you ever find out what Potter wanted to speak to you so badly about?" he asked as it had been eating away at him all day. If the prat hadn't interrupted them, the whole squid escapade might not have even happened as he had planned to spend most of the morning in bed with her.

Evidentially, that was the wrong thing to say because the next thing he knew, Rose's demeanor changed drastically. Her smile faded away and was instantly replaced with sadness as she looked over to where her cousin slept and then to an empty bed a few spots away. Immediately, tears gathered in her eyes which caused Scorpius to sit up straight and reach out for her. Gathering her in his arms, much like he had when they had both spent time in the hospital together, he cradled her close.

"It… It's Hugo," she choked out as her throat became tight with emotion. As much as it pained her, she explained to him everything that had happened once Albus had found her. Bringing the image of Hugo to the forefront of her mind, she couldn't help the tears that fell. She was incredibly worried about her brother and she had almost lost Albus today. Her family meant everything to her and it was more than she could currently withstand.

Scorpius held her as she sobbed into his chest. For a moment, he actually felt guilty for having fought with Potter when it was such a serious matter. Granted, the prat had crossed the line more than once but he supposed the stress of the situation might have had him particularly high strung. What Rose was going through, was more than any human should have to endure. He wanted to help her but he had no idea where to even begin.

"Shh… it will be okay… we'll combine our brains and figure something out to help your brother. I promise," he whispered. Rose's head shot up and it startled him for a brief moment. He wondered if he said the wrong thing again until he saw the hope in her eyes.

"Really? You'll help me?" she asked.

"Of course. You said you would do anything for me and I want to return the favor," he answered as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Scorpius felt her arms wrap around his waist before hugging him tightly. He enjoyed the sensation and demonstrated this by returning the embrace and kissing her forehead.

"And… I'm sorry for earlier. The fight with your cousin," he mumbled a bit more quietly. Yet again, Rose offered him a surprised look.

"Am I hearing correctly? Is Scorpius Malfoy apologizing for something?" she gasped. Despite how awful she felt, she couldn't help teasing him a bit. His cheeks turned pink as he looked towards the ceiling.

"Yeah, yeah, don't make a big deal out of it," he grumbled. As much as he cared about her, things felt like they were getting a tad bit too mushy and emotional.

"And… you weren't the only one to blame. Albus had said some terrible things and they were completely unnecessary. Also… I'm sorry too," she said quietly. It was Scorpius' turn to look surprised.

"What are you apologizing for?"

"For snapping at you. You… were doing what I had asked you to and… considering that Albus was being a giant arse, you did really well. I… probably would have hexed him too after a while," she explained, her cheeks darkening a bit in her embarrassment. It was really terrible of her to have acted as she did.

"Yeah… okay. It's fine," Scorpius said lightly. Honestly, he wanted to gloat in the moment but he knew that would be terrible of him, considering everything the woman was going through.

Silence fell over the two of them for a moment. Rose was enjoying resting in Scorpius' comforting embrace but something was eating away at her. The two of them had been incredibly angry at one another earlier in the day and there wasn't anything official between them. She liked to believe that if they were legitimately dating, he would be loyal, but the problem was nothing had been determined about them. Truth be told, she was afraid to ask Scorpius what they were, in case that ruined all the progress they had made.

"Scorpius… could I please ask you something?" Rose practically whispered. It took Scorpius a moment to realize that she had spoken to him.

"I'm pretty sure if I say no you're going to ask anyways, but yeah, what's up?" he inquired with a playful smile, not realizing that something was actually bothering her.

"When you left this morning… did you… see anyone?" she asked vaguely, causing him to frown.

"What do you mean 'see anyone'? I saw a lot of people. There's still a ton of people here at the school," he answered.

Rose stiffened in his arms, feeling her heart break. Sure, they had been apart for a few hours, but was that really enough time to see several women? With his name and reputation, she didn't know why she even questioned it. The man could get anyone he wanted with a simple look. Slowly, she pulled away from his embrace and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Her hands gripped the mattress' edge as she hung her head in despair. The last thing she should have been was surprised, but she liked to think that there was some sort of emotional attachment between the two of them.

Scorpius was more than confused by her response. In a matter of seconds she had gone from happy, to sad, to playful, to sad again. The woman was given him mental whiplash from her bipolarity. Granted, she was a woman and under a great deal of stress, but this was starting to get out of hand. Frowning, he wondered if something had been misunderstood.

"Rose, what's wrong?" he asked gently as he turned to sit behind her with his legs on either side of her own. His arms slid around her middle and she shrunk back as though she couldn't stand his touch. That hurt him more than he ever thought it would. To have her reject him, for any reason, was shattering. As a Malfoy, he wasn't used to rejection to begin with, but he found that what Rose thought about him mattered more to him than anything else.

"Nothing," she muttered quietly in reserved anger.

"Sure as hell doesn't feel like 'nothing'," he grumbled as he refused to let her go. She was going to explain herself even if he had to force it out of her. "I'm not a damned mind reader, you're gonna have to give me more than that."

"You're a damned idiot!" she growled, unshed tears tightening her throat as she attempted to pull herself from his arms. Scorpius hadn't even been aware that he could be any more confused. There was a serious piece of the puzzle missing and he didn't like it.

"If I'm gonna be an idiot, I would like to know why. Would you hold still?!" he complained as he fought against the wildcat. Having had enough, he turned so that he pinned her down to the bed with him on top of her. It was a good thing that Madame Rosaline had stepped out after his father because this would have caused a slew of problems.

"I hate you!" she hissed, feeling emotionally hurt. Her words gave Scorpius pause as he gazed down at her. Yet again, more words from her that he did not want to hear.

"Rose… what did I do?" he asked softly, his voice sounding almost frightened and small.

Before she could stop herself, more tears were falling down her cheeks. Her heart was hurting so much and she couldn't seem to find anything to ground herself with. Between Hugo, Albus, and her conflicting feelings with Scorpius, she couldn't take any more. Once more, she found herself sobbing. Rose could count the number of times she truly cried on two hands but since this year started, it seemed to more than double that.

Crying women were not Scorpius' forte in the least bit. He had no idea what to do especially because it appeared that he was the reason as to why she was crying. Just last year, he would have relished in that fact, but now, it was utterly destroying him. Lacking the proper words, he allowed her to cry for a few moments as he gently ran his hands up and down her arms. As much as he would have loved to sit her up and hold her, she was fighting him too much and he wanted answers. Her crying eventually slowed and she was quiet once more. Before he could reiterate his question, Rose answered first.

"I.. I don't know what we are, Scorpius… but, it hurts that… you run off to someone else's bed whenever you're upset or angry," she admitted very softly, unable to look at him.

Scorpius' brows furrowed as he tried to make sense of where she had come to that conclusion. He had never said that he slept with anyone recently. Hell, it had been several weeks since he had even been intimate with anyone else. That was not to say that he hadn't been considering it earlier but he hadn't been able to follow through. Back tracking their conversation, his eyes widened as realization hit him.

Unable to stop himself, his body began shaking with soft laughter. He knew that he shouldn't be but the entire scenario was comical now that he fully understood what happened. Rose's cheeks turned scarlet and he wasn't sure if it was due to anger or embarrassment. It was flattering that she felt as strongly as she did for him that something as a simple mix-up of words could cause so much trouble.

"You're unbearably cruel, Scorpius Malfoy," she whined. As of right now, Albus' words were ringing in her head from the fight. This must have all been a game to him and she was the fool who had fallen for it.

"Rose, you have seriously misunderstood me," he said gently, attempting to stifle his laughter, which was part in relief. "When you asked me if I had seen anyone, I thought you were referring to people in general, which was why initially I did not understand. Of course I would have seen other people, the school is crawling with them during this particular holiday. Apparently, what you meant, was if I had seen any 'females'."

"Well, did you?" she asked sternly, her cheeks on fire. If he was telling the truth then she felt like an absolute imbecile for making assumptions. Her question had been rather vague. She watched as Scorpius' face softened and he gazed at her with such sincerity that it had her heart racing.

"No, I did not. I won't lie to you and tell you that I didn't consider it, but the idea of hurting you was too much," he admitted, his own cheeks turning pink. It was embarrassing to hear himself say such things out loud but she deserved the truth.

"Oh…" Rose whispered as she mulled over his words. This man was most certainly going to think she was absolutely mental by this point. She wouldn't have blamed him for dropping her like a scalding rock.

More silence passed between them. Scorpius slowly moved so that he was no longer sitting on top of her, seeing as how she no longer needed restraining. The bed was not large enough to accommodate the both of them but he would be damned if he let her leave. Somehow, he would make it work. Turning on his side, he pulled her back against his chest and nuzzled her neck. If neither one of them moved to their back, this would work.

Rose didn't fight the position change. Her cheeks were still on fire as her body burned with sheer embarrassment. Now she was coming off as paranoid and jealous which was silly. The two of them were not formally dating and even if they were, she needed to give him more credit than that. It was hard, given his reputation, but Scorpius had changed considerably and she needed to remember that. She didn't need Albus' thoughts poisoning what she knew to be true about the Slytherin.

"I'm sorry…" Rose mumbled after a moment. Scorpius didn't say anything but she could feel him smiling against her skin. "I don't think Madame Rosaline is going to let us stay like this."

"Mh… don't care. I'll just use my Malfoy name to get what I want," he teased, though he was half serious. Rose shook her head disapprovingly.

"You're so bad."

"Ah, but you love me for it," he whispered into her ear, causing her to shiver.

Although he was saying it lightly, Rose couldn't help but ponder his choice of words. Did she "love" him? Had enough time passed for her to successfully say that? While they might legally be adults, they were still children in the grand scheme of things. Could either one of them truly know what that meant? She wasn't sure if Scorpius was ready to love anyone. Just him being in a public, committed relationship felt like she was pulling teeth.

Scorpius hadn't realized what he said until the words had come tumbling out of his mouth. While he didn't actually mean "love" he didn't want Rose to think he did. There was no way that he could love her. Sure, he had great affection towards her and he would kill any man who tried to take her, but to go so far as to say he "loved" her, was just too much. There was no way he did, right? He was thankful that Rose remained silent on the matter.

Despite her protests, Scorpius felt the woman relax in his arms and he found that the reason why she was silent was because she had drifted off to sleep. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit as he placed a light kiss against her skin. The poor woman had been through a lot and some of it was partially his fault. He also liked to think that he had redeemed himself at the lake. Feeling exhaustion take him once more, despite having slept for quite some time, he fell back asleep with her.

Hours later, pain assailed Scorpius' body, followed by the feeling of something hard and cold colliding with his body. His head smacked against said object painfully and he found himself incredibly disoriented by both sleep and now agony. Opening his eyes and forcing them to focus, he found himself staring up at the vaulted ceiling of the Hospital Wing. He discovered that the bed he had been laying on was also above him which concluded that he was currently on stone floor of said hospital.

Before he had a moment to recover, Potter's angry face came into his line of view and he could hear Rose shrieking in a rather pissed off manner. Before her cousin could get a kick at his ribs, Scorpius saw him being dragged off to the side by the red head. As he sat up, he rolled his shoulder, finding that it too was hurting. Potter must have yanked him off the bed by his arm. The moment he tried to sit up though, his head began spinning and he laid back down, resting his clasped hands over his stomach. He would wait until it passed or his head exploded from the pain.

"What the hell is your problem, Albus?!" Rose yelled as she pulled her cousin as far away as she possibly could.

One moment she had been sleeping and the next she had felt Scorpius' body disappear from her own very suddenly. Hearing him fall from the bed and smack his head had her awake instantly in alarm. Silently, she began cursing at having forgotten that Albus was still asleep in the Hospital Wing. Of course, seeing the two of them together, he would be having a fit, but this was getting out of control. Her cousin's overprotectiveness of her was becoming suffocating.

"I could say the same about you! Have you no dignity!?" he bellowed in return, not caring that it was early and that their voices were reverberating off of the stone walls. Madame Rosaline was nowhere to be seen and there were no other patients.

"Dignity? What the hell are you talking about?!" Rose demanded as she looked at herself and then at her cousin. She was still dressed in the outfit she had been wearing the day before which consisted of a sweater and jeans. In fact, how she had managed to fall asleep in that was beyond her.

"You are sleeping with _Malfoy!_ " he sneered as though the name tasted bitter. "That cheating bastard doesn't give a damn about you and this is all a game. That was what I tried to warn you about but I refuse to sit here and let this continue. First, Lily has lost her marbles, but I refuse to let you, the rational one, end up the same way. You're smarter than this, Rose!"

Albus' words stung her as he continued to yell. She was upset that he thought so little of her and had grouped her in with Lily. Lily was young and had never really fancied anyone like she did Alek. Yes, her attitude had changed drastically, but Rose was not like that. Albus had all of his facts wrong and she was partially to blame for it. So was Scorpius, as he refused to be public about anything. Her family hated secrets and this was why.

"Albus, calm the hell down. You don't know what you're –"

"Don't you dare do that! Don't you dare talk to me like I'm a child who doesn't understand. I walked in on him, Rose, in the Champion room with some other woman," he growled before moving to try and hit Malfoy again. Once more, he was thwarted as Rose pulled him back.

"Albus that wasn't –" she attempted once more.

"HE IS A LYING, CHEATING, SCUMBAG!" he bellowed, the echoing of his voice adding emphasis to his words. "ARE YOU WANTING TO BECOME ONE OF HIS WHORES?"

The silence that followed his words was deafening. Rose's eyes and mouth were both opened wide as she could not believe that this was her best friend that was speaking to her in this manner. His words stung more now than before. It took everything in her to force back the tears that wanted to fall. She was angry and sad all at once. This year was taking more from her than just her sanity. It was tearing her family apart.

Unable to react immediately, Rose could do nothing more than stand shocked as she comprehended his words. Albus was standing before her, cheeks mottled red in absolute anger, with his fists clenched viciously at his sides. She could see that he was straining to keep himself from reaching out and hitting someone. It worried her that he might have been contemplating her as his target.

"I have warned you to watch your mouth before, Potter. You can say whatever shit you want to me, but I'll be damned if I let you speak to Rose this way. For family, you're about as wonderful as a Malfoy," Scorpius growled as he hoisted himself up into a standing position. His head was throbbing but that was the furthest concern from his mind right now.

"How fucking dare you…" Albus growled dangerously as he attempted to make a pass at Scorpius. Rose, finally regaining her senses, moved in front of her cousin and was promptly sent to the floor. Silence filled the room once more.

"R-Rose… I.. I'm sorry…" Albus started before stopping himself. He never meant for her to get hurt, but she was asking for this by sticking up for Malfoy. "I can't believe you would choose him over family."

"And I can't believe you would act like this towards family," Rose whispered as she stood up, glaring at her cousin. Just when she thought she couldn't hurt any more, she felt her heart shattering within her chest. "I'm defending someone who has done nothing wrong. You walked into Scorpius with me, not someone else."

Scorpius wished that he could enjoy the look of shock on Potter's face at Rose's words. It was taking everything in him not to act smug. The situation was already volatile, the last thing it needed was any more fuel. Potter stood there, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, unable to say anything. His eyes were the size of saucers as he looked between the two.

"You… you… and... and Malfoy…" he stuttered, unable to find cohesive words to demonstrate how he was feeling.

"We weren't doing anything, despite what you think. You said a lot of unnecessary things. I told him not to let you know that I was there because I didn't want this sort of irrational reaction. A lot of good that did," she said bitterly as she glared at her cousin.

"Good to know that you're keeping secrets," Albus finally said after her recovered. Feeling angry and hurt, all he wanted to do was lash out. "When he breaks your heart, don't come crying to me."

Before Rose could stop him, Albus bolted from the Hospital Wing and slammed the door. Rose winced not only from the sound but from her own heart breaking. Everything had gone so terribly wrong within a span of a few minutes. Why couldn't Albus understand? Hell, why couldn't her family understand that there was no need for this feuding? It hurt that no one seemed to care about what she wanted or felt.

Scorpius had several reasons for wanting to put Potter's face into a wall, but none of them compared to now. The shattered look on Rose's face was almost enough for him to go charging after the git and slug him until he regained some mediocrity of sense. Guilt also assailed him because he knew that, essentially, Rose had chosen him over her family. It was no secret as to how close Potter and she were. There was hardly a moment where one was without the other.

"Rose…" Scorpius started, taking a step in her direction.

"I… I need to be alone, for a bit. I'll catch up with you later," Rose said softly, feeling miserable yet again. Her brother was in the hospital and now Albus was mad at her. She wished that she could talk to her mother right now. No matter what was going on, she always had the right words to say and she was used to dealing with her father.

Not even passing a look at Scorpius, Rose made her way out of the Hospital Wing. She was going to write to her mother but after that, she wasn't sure what she was going to do. Albus wasn't even aware that Scorpius had been the one to save his life when the squid drug him into the lake. Even if she told him now, she doubt he would believe her or even care at all. He would more than likely wish that Scorpius had drowned.

Scorpius felt empty as he stood in the middle of the Hospital Wing alone. He wished that Madame Rosaline had not conveniently disappeared because she might have prevented this entire escapade from having happened. Hell, if he had listened to Rose the night before and allowed her to sleep in another bed, this wouldn't have happened. Clenching his fist, he hated this his moments of selfishness were hurting the person who had come to mean the most to him. Despite what she had done for him, he was still too cowardly to give her the one thing he knew that she wanted. She wanted an actual relationship with him and for him to proudly announce her as his. It was what he wanted as well, but his grandfather would never go for it. Rose was willing to tear apart her family for him but he was too selfish to return the favor.

Growling, he sat down on his bed, feeling more conflicted than before. It appeared that no matter what he did, all he was good for was causing trouble to his beloved. The feud between their families was too strong and the more they fought against it, the wider the rift became. Family meant a lot to both himself and Rose. The difference was that she seemed to be willing to cause discord where he was not.

His grandfather helped shape him into the man he currently was, the least that he could do to return the favor was please him. However, his father's words rung in his head from the night before. His father was accepting of what was happening and even encouraged it. He knew that his mother would feel the same if not stronger. Feeling conflicted between the members of his family and Rose, Scorpius could do nothing but hold his head in his hands. What the hell was he going to do?

Pulling his face from his hands, he rest his chin on them instead and stared at the floor. He did this for a moment before something caught his attention. A few beds over from his, the floor was covered in some sort of thin layer of green mud with bits of something mixed in. He found this to be odd as he knew that Madame Rosaline liked to keep the hospital immaculate. Frowning, he moved so that he was standing in front of said bed and knelt down.

What he thought was mud was actually some sort of powdery substance that appeared to have been hit with water. Inside this strange mixture were bits of leaves that were far too small for him to identify just what they were. This struck him as incredibly odd because the nurse cleaned up every night as far as he was concerned. Perhaps within the last few days she had been unable to with so many students ending up in the hospital and parental visits.

This indicated to him that whatever left the powder had done so fairly recently. Seeing as how he, Rose, Potter, and Dragoni had all come into the hospital soaked from the lake, it was completely possible that water had dripped onto the area and muddied up the powder. That made sense to him. Otherwise, the powder was so light in color it was hard to see even in the light. Upon further inspection, it looked as though a shoe had been pressed into the substance and created a print. It wasn't a full print so that didn't do him much good and besides, the Hospital Wing was such a high traffic area there would be no way to tell who it belonged to.

Looking around, Scorpius observed the wing in hopes of finding something that would indicate as to what the powder was and how it had come to be there. There were plenty of windows in the room but none of them had potted flowers or anything of the sort perched on the sills. Not sure as to why, but this current mystery was bothering the hell out of him and something was telling him that it was significant.

Snagging from Madame Rosaline's desk a piece of parchment and a white, linen rag, he returned to the mud. Carefully, he placed the piece of parchment down across the spot and watched as it soaked up the mud and design. Removing the parchment, he was satisfied that it had recreated the print. While it was far from perfect, and rather blotchy, it gave him something to reference. Taking the rag, he swiped the area and gathered all of the mud, powder, and leaves into it before carefully folding it and placing it in his pocket.

Recalling the way that Rose had looked in the direction of this particular bed, Scorpius assumed that this was where her brother had been when she visited him. Frowning deeply, he had a terrible feeling that whatever he just found, had something to do with why the Weasley was suddenly so very sick. The professors were thinking poison from the weapon but what if it wasn't from the weapon? It was a sickening thought to say the least.

Sighing heavily, his first instinct was to go and seek Rose out but he was sure that she didn't want to see him quite yet. She had requested that she be alone but he had no idea for how long. Besides, all that he had was pure speculation. He had no proof of anything and for all he knew it could have been something residual from anyone walking into the Hospital Wing.

Feeling ridiculous, he was tempted to dispose of both the parchment and the rag but something told him not to. Once the parchment was dry, he folded that up as well and pocketed it. He was sure there was a better, more formal way, to gather up the items he had but that was not his profession. If he recalled correctly, someone had once told him of muggles having someone to do exactly what he was doing. The term, he believed, was "CSI" but he had no idea what the hell that meant.

Annoyed with his inadequacy, he sat down on his bed once more as his mind began running through different types of poisons. Now that, he was familiar with. Potter hadn't been wrong when he accused his family of association with the Dark Arts. Maybe this would benefit him for once but honestly, without knowing what the powder was made up of, it could be anything. Then there was the fact that it could have been anyone to administer it.

Laying down once more, he found himself even more conflicted than before. If he told Rose of his thoughts, then he could get her to help him but at the same time, he didn't wish to worry her if it turned out to be nothing. While he was rather proficient in Potions and Herbology, Rose was still better than himself. He supposed he could always speak to Professor Longbottom himself but given how the professor was a family friend of the Weasleys and Potters, he wasn't sure that was a good idea.

The Longbottoms weren't overly fond of his family either and he was sure that this would incriminate himself somehow. Right now, he was seriously disliking how much his family was hated. Here he was, trying to do something good for someone he cared about, and it had nothing but the greatest potential to blow up in his face. No one believed him and it made it very hard to convince himself to continue pushing through. If he was going to get blamed, he might as well do the thing that he was being accused of. As tempting as the thought was, he knew that Rose would be disappointed in him.

His thoughts returning back to Rose, he felt absolutely lousy once more. He was too selfish and she deserved much better than what was offering. There was only one thing that he could do and he was not thrilled with the idea. Hell, he knew that she wasn't going to be either but really, neither one of them had a real choice. Turning on his side, he closed his eyes tight as he dreaded what he was eventually going to have to do.

Rose was going to hate him.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **A/N: Sorry for how long it took to post this chapter. Things got pretty busy for me. I hope that you guys enjoy it :D**

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 20*~**

Time appeared to pass painfully slow for Scorpius for the rest of the Christmas holiday. Since the fight with Rose and her cousin, he hadn't seen much of her. He wouldn't say that she was directly avoiding him but she didn't seek him out as often as she used to. Whenever he would attempt to talk to her, it was like she was in a daze. She would look at him but not appear to really see him. He knew there was a lot weighing on her mind and from what he could gather, Potter was doing his damned best at actively ignoring her. Guilt was weighing on him that he was a significant cause for her current unhappiness.

He was thankful that Rose continued to share the Champion room with him but now it felt like they were just coexisting in the same space together. She went back to sleeping in her own bed which he discovered he abhorred. While they had slept together only a handful of times, he found that he enjoyed her warmth more than anyone he had ever shared a bed with. Waking up to her beauty had been a great way to get his day started. Now, she was gone and out of bed before he even had the chance to wake up.

The distance that had been created between the both of them had him realizing just how much he had come to depend on her. Her melodic voice was a joy to his ears even if she was prattling on about something that would bore him to tears. The cheerful attitude that was normally associated with her made it almost impossible to be anything other than happy. It was shocking, really, that Rose had come to have such a serious effect on him. Now that she was walking around, a depressed shell of the person she was, he was finding it hard to be optimistic.

On more than one occasion, he attempted to bring up several subjects that he knew would pique her interest. Nothing grabbed her attention anymore and he considered telling her about the powder he had found in the Hospital Wing. He wanted her to focus her efforts on healing her brother just so that she was no longer in her current state of mind. However, he was still no closer to discovering what the substance was and the last thing he needed to do was add worry. For all he knew, it could have nothing to do with her brother's current state.

Several times he toyed with the idea of locating Potter and knocking some sense into the prat before making him apologize to his cousin. As tempting as the idea truly was, he knew that it would be hurting more than helping. Besides, it wasn't like Potter was going to do anything that would benefit a Malfoy, even if it was for Rose. Prior to now, he never gave a damn about the feud between his family and the Potters and Weasleys. Currently, it was becoming the bane of his existence.

When Potter had been yelling at him as he was first looking for Rose, he had mentioned that he had begun to tolerate Scorpius. It held little significance for him at the time but now that he reflected on it, there was a lot to be said about that statement. Potter, more than likely, hated him more than anyone else. The two of them were always at war with one another and typically that ended up in a brawl.

As preposterous as the idea appeared, there was a chance that Potter was somehow feeling betrayed. Scorpius wrinkled his nose at the thought of him and the git having some sort of friendly relationship. He would tolerate the Gryffindor for the sake of Rose but that was as far as that went. Perhaps, Potter felt the same and having walked in on Scorpius with, what he thought, some other woman, he felt that his trust has been broken. The idiot then decided to take his hurt out on Rose, which came out as anger. It was a farfetched idea but the thought had still crossed his mind nevertheless.

Sighing, he realized that Rose must have been feeling incredibly alone. He had been graced with the opportunity to be included in one of her family events on Christmas. It was easy to see how close all of them really were and how much they meant to one another. Scorpius never had that sort of warmth and closeness within his own family. Now, to see Rose wandering by herself all the time and even eating alone, he knew it had to be killing her.

The last thing Scorpius wanted to do was add to her misery but perhaps a bit of pain would be necessary before she would begin healing. If he could somehow remove himself from the picture and make things right, then it would be worth it in the end. Being selfless was something that he was currently attempting to adjust to but for Rose, he wanted to be better. He couldn't give her a relationship due to his own selfishness but now, he found that it could never happen. Her family would shun her and while he liked to think that he would be enough for her, he wasn't conceded enough to fall for it. Rose would miss her family too much and he couldn't live with that guilt.

It was sort of an oxymoron that he was being selfless because he was being selfish or perhaps that just made him twice as selfish. He cared about Rose a great deal and he wanted nothing but the best for her, even if that didn't include him. She deserved to be happy with someone who could give her what she wanted. With that in mind, he felt that he was being selfless because it was her that he was thinking of despite how he wanted to be selfish and keep her to himself.

The selfish, most predominant, side of him wanted to say "fuck it" and just take what he wanted. He desired Rose and he wanted her to be happy with him. However, the other side of him, the side that Rose brought out, wanted to see her smile even if it wasn't because of him. He would have to ignore his own agony and continue on with his plan. Wincing as though in physical pain, he hated the idea of returning to how they used to be. Was that even possible considering what had transpired? The two of them, he liked to think, had become rather close.

A sigh escaped Scorpius as he realized just how incredibly difficult this decision was. He was a selfish person by nature and the last thing he wanted to do was cause himself intentional pain. All he wanted was Rose and to the point of where it was almost all consuming. Rubbing his face with his hands, he growled as he began pacing the Champion room. Once more, he had woken up alone and by the time he had rushed down to breakfast in hopes of seeing Rose, she was gone. His plan was to stay in the room until she returned.

Perhaps if he brought up the second task, she would be able to fixate her mind on something more constructive. After all, it was only about a month and a half away. He hadn't even looked at the damn coin once since they received it and he was sure that Rose had already done all kinds of research on it. Too bad she hadn't felt the need to disclose any of the information. Oh wait… he had been avoiding her at the time. Another sigh left him as he realized that currently he was getting a taste of his own medicine.

If he followed through with his plan to make her hate him, then there was the possibility that they could fail the second task much like they failed the first. The discord between them made it impossible to work with one another. With both of their lives at stake, they couldn't behave like that again. However, he did not think she would be able to perform properly, regardless, with the current state she was in. Damn, he really wanted to kill Potter. If the idiot wasn't so damned stupid none of this would be a problem.

The only solace that Scorpius found was that eventually she would get over him. She would fall back into their routine of fighting and she would be fine. He might not be, but she was what was most important. They still had a month and a half before the next task, if all went well, she would be more than ready. Merlin, he hated this but he knew that it was necessary. He moved to stand in front of one of the bookcases that lined the room and waited for Rose.

Misery was the current story of Rose's life. She could hardly believe everything that had happened in such a short amount of time. The one thing she felt that she could always count on was her family. Albus was her best friend and it was killing her that things had ended up as they did. On several occasions, she attempted to reach out and talk to him but he was giving her the silent treatment and refusing to even look at her. Whenever he did happen to glance in her direction, it was a glare.

Never in her life had she felt so incredibly alone. Lily was so taken up with Alek that she was oblivious to everyone around her. In fact, Rose hadn't really seen much of her since the Giant Squid incident. One in a while she would catch her at one of the meals but that was about it. Hugo was at St. Mungo's being treated and now Albus was blatantly ignoring her. All that left her with was Scorpius and she couldn't help but feel guilt whenever she was around him.

If she wasn't hurting one person, she was hurting another. Scorpius had been making active efforts to try and make her feel better. While she was appreciative of this, it still hurt knowing that Albus was so pissed off at her because of him. If she had not been so secretive and just let Albus know what was going on that morning, things might have been different. She kept trying to apologize to her cousin for lying but he refused to hear it. He believed that she chose Scorpius over family and he wasn't standing for it.

Several times Rose sat down and attempted to write to her mother. She wanted to be reminded that not everyone had abandoned her. However, every time she would start to form words on the parchment, she would stop. Both of her parents were under a great deal of stress because of Hugo's condition. The last thing they needed was her complaining about a squabble that she and Albus were having. It wasn't like they hadn't ever fought before but it wasn't like this. She was worried that they might not recover from this.

Instead, she opted for writing Teddy. While he wasn't directly family, he might as well have been. She recalled him being over at her uncle's house quite frequently, almost as much as her family was. He was eight years her senior but sometimes he acted younger and older than that. Hopefully, he would have something comforting to say. After all, he was used to the Potter boys and saw them as brothers. She also hoped that because Scorpius was technically his second cousin, that maybe he wouldn't feed into the feud.

Unfortunately, Teddy seemed to be rather busy most days though as to what he was doing, she was not sure. She had written him several days ago but had not heard from him yet. What she hoped was that it was because he was busy and not because he was mad at her too. Perhaps he would take Albus' side instead. Merlin, she hated this. Both she and Albus were adults and they needed to handle the situation accordingly. She couldn't go running to her aunt and uncle and have them force him to behave.

Having been cooped up in the library, Rose decided to make her return to the Champion room. In her daze, she had forgotten the coin in her side table and she wanted to research some more into it. With the second task being so close, she really needed to get her thoughts into gear. There was so much preparing that needed to be done especially because they had no idea what the next task even was. She prayed that Scorpius wasn't as difficult this time as he was the last. Thinking of said Slytherin had her heart aching.

Was Scorpius worth everything she had given up? It wasn't like Albus gave her much of a choice but seeing as how she was the one who lied, maybe she had already made the decision. The man refused to acknowledge whatever it was that they were but he had no problem attempting to reap the benefits. She couldn't deny that she enjoyed his affections and his kisses were blissful, but she refused to give herself to him fully if he couldn't admit that they had something. Considering what happened with her family, she trusted that he understood what he meant to her.

Entering the room, she had not been expecting Scorpius to be inside. Typically, he was out and about doing whatever it was that he did throughout the day. After their last conversation, she wasn't worried that he was finding comfort in some other woman's arms but she was curious as to what he had been doing. She had been so terrible to him by being distant for so long. Classes were supposed to start tomorrow and she had wasted valuable time with him and researching the next task by moping around.

Scorpius heard the door open, followed by someone entering. Looking over his shoulder, he could see that it was Rose and he felt his heart racing. While he was glad to see her, he was also dreading this moment. It was the furthest thing that he wanted to do but it was required. Keeping his back to her, he feigned disinterest as he removed a book from the shelf. He had no idea what the title was as he wasn't paying attention. While he looked like he didn't care, he was incredibly aware of every movement Rose made.

The room immediately felt tense and Rose wasn't sure what to say or do. Honestly, she was not sure what she had been expecting. After over a week's worth of trying, she was sure that Scorpius was finished attempting to reach out to her. She had been almost as difficult as Albus but she wasn't giving him the silent treatment. Although, she wasn't exactly giving him her undivided attention either. Shifting uneasily, she shut the door behind her and took a few steps into the room.

"Hey…" she called out quietly, unsure of how to proceed.

"Where the hell have you been?" he asked gruffly, refusing to look at her still. Rose was taken aback by his tone, not feeling as though it was warranted.

"The library. Is something wrong?" she asked as she took a few more steps towards him. She didn't get very far before he spoke again.

"Oh gee, I wonder? Could it possibly have anything to do with the way you've been acting? Seriously, grow up," he growled. From the corner of his eye, he could see her wince as though he had physically struck her. How in the hell was he going to continue with this? It was already killing him.

"E-Excuse me?" she asked, her mouth agape in surprise. Why was he speaking to her so harshly? She didn't think she had been that terrible to him.

"You heard me. All you have been doing is moping over your stupid cousin. He doesn't give a damn but you're too busy blubbering to get that. So instead, you decide to be shitty to me," he continued, idly turning the book over in his hands. His brows were furrowed with annoyance and he continued to avoid her gaze. If he saw the hurt in those blue eyes, it would be his undoing.

"Th-that's not fair! Me and Albus are fighting because of you!" she protested, turning her hurt to anger. There was no way in hell she was going to let him speak to her like that. She was tired of everyone attacking her and not giving a damn about her feelings.

"Yeah? Now that you have me, you don't seem to give a damn. Seems like the fight was rather pointless, dontcha think?" he sneered.

Scorpius hated that he was getting this sort of response from her, despite it being his intention. Hearing her say the fight was his fault hurt more than he thought it would. While he knew that to be the truth, it pained him much more to hear it from her lips. What he was doing to her now, was going to make that fight between Rose and Potter seem rather moot.

"Scorpius, what has gotten into you?" she asked frantically as she rushed over to him. Something wasn't right. Sure, this would have been normal behavior for him months ago but not lately. She grabbed his shoulder and turned him to face her. What was provoking him to act so cruelly?

Scorpius felt his breath hitch at her touch and he was sure his heart stopped when he met her gaze. He had to remind himself that this needed to be done. Neither one of them could continue like this. He was far too selfish for her and he refused to be the reason why she lost her family. Steeling his gaze, he voided himself of any emotion other than annoyance.

"I'm finally seeing sense. I knew it was mental to be so chummy with a Weasley. You're not even my type. You have no experience and you're so obsessed with your family that a simple fight has you falling to pieces. Being with someone like that is not good for my image," he said with a glower. The words felt bitter on his tongue and he immediately felt sick to his stomach. He meant none of those things but he knew that it would affect her the most.

Rose took a few steps back as she clasped her hands and pressed them to her chest. What was wrong with him? Why was he saying such terrible things to her? Tired of crying, she refused to allow the tears to spring to her eyes. She had no idea why he was behaving like this but she had enough of it. Every man in her life seemed to be doing nothing but causing her strife and she refused to let another one speak to her like Scorpius was doing now. Shaking her head, she clasped her hands harder together before glaring at him.

"You're such an arse! I don't know what the hell has gotten into you but I refuse to let you talk to me like this! I have done nothing to deserve this and with everything I have confided in you, I would have expected you to show me some compassion!" she yelled, doing her best to keep her anger at the forefront of her emotions. If she allowed herself to feel hurt or sad, she was going to crumble and she refused to demonstrate anymore vulnerability to anyone.

"Is that what it's going to take to get you into bed with me? To show more compassion? I'm not cut out for this romantic, affectionate crap and quite frankly, I'm getting rather tired of this game. You see, I'm not getting any results which means this isn't worth it," he scoffed as he tossed the book he was holding aside. "You wouldn't be a very good lay anyways. However, striking back at the Weasley/Potter clan is always fun." His signature smirk slid into place but it felt so foreign. It had been so long since he behaved like this that he couldn't believe that it used to be natural.

This had to be a nightmare or a residual vision. There was no way that Scorpius was saying the things that he was to her. After everything they had been through and all of his sweet gestures, how could he act like this? Albus could not have been right. Her cousin hated him blindly and had been unable to even entertain the idea that he was a good person. He couldn't have been right all along. She couldn't have been the one who was blind.

No, something was forcing him to behave like this, but even knowing this, it didn't make his words hurt any less. He was praying upon her fears and insecurities that Albus had brought to light. On more than one occasion, her faith in Scorpius had been tested but she continued to believe in him. This, however, was making it damn near impossible. She needed to find out what forsaken reason he had come up with that justified his behaviors but she had a feeling he wouldn't be divulging any information currently.

"Is that what all of this has been to you? A game?!" she shrieked, her body shaking in anger. Despite her convictions to believe this was a rouse, his words were ringing in her head and beginning to wear her down. It was impossible not to become caught up in the moment. Once more, Scorpius turned away from her and appeared uninterested in her qualms.

"Rather exciting, dontcha think? You play it so well. Well, except for the whole not putting out thing. That's a huge let down," he continued humorously.

"You're a disgusting, sleazy snake! You slither into people's lives and then poison them! I hope you're fucking happy, Malfoy, because you have ruined me and my family!" she screeched, feeling her anger continue to mount. She hated that these words were coming out of her mouth. The last thing she wanted to do was put the sole blame on him for her fight with Albus. She was an adult and it had been her fault the fight happened, but Scorpius was pushing her to the edge. It was so much easier to blame someone else.

Scorpius had to swallow hard to keep from spewing apologies. He knew that this was going to hurt the both of them but he couldn't stand it. It was one thing to unintentionally cause her pain but he knew full well what he was doing. Since Rose had come along, he liked to think he was becoming a better person and further away from the act he was putting on currently. It was making him physically ill and his heart was breaking. Hearing her revert back to his surname, on top of her language that she only used in absolute anger or pain, had him feeling really low.

"Guess it's a good thing I'm in Slytherin then, huh?" he said simply, losing some of his composure. It was exhausting to maintain anger that he didn't really feel. Everything was an act but her words were hurting him, although he was sure, not as much as his were hurting her.

He was surprised when he didn't hear Rose react. She didn't move nor did she speak. Just as he was about to turn and find out what was going on, he felt a dainty hand on his shoulder. The grip, however, was far from delicate as he felt her nails dig into his skin, through his shirt, and pull him forcibly to face her. Not even having a moment to react, he felt his nose explode with pain, and possibly blood, as Rose slugged him. Caught completely off guard, he fell back against the book case.

Rose wasn't the violent type and when she was angry, she defaulted to spellcasting. This was the last sort of response Scorpius expected from her even with her as upset as she was. While he was used to brawling with her cousin and brother, he had never laid a hand on the woman before him. Obviously, he was successful in his taunting but now his face hurt along with his heart.

"Serves you right, you bastard!" Rose hissed before charging passed him to retrieve the coin she had originally come back to the room for. She snagged the coin, leaving the velvet lined box behind. On her way out, she turned to yell at him. "Don't you DARE ever speak to me again!" With that, she was gone.

Scorpius groaned as he pinched his nose with his fingertips. He was in so much pain from just about every avenue that all he could do was slide down to the floor. Pulling his hands away from his face, he could see that he was indeed bleeding but he didn't care. The physical pain he was feeling was nothing compared to the agony that was tearing at his heart. Rose was the last person he wanted to hurt as badly as he did.

For the first time in a very long time, Scorpius felt hot tears slide down his cheeks. He had never endured heartache like he was experiencing now. Honestly, he would rather endure a thousand more punches and physical assaults than this. His chest felt tight and heavy from the intense weight that was now there. Sadness filled him and he could do nothing but allow for his tears to fall silently. There was no one he could talk to about this and he found himself feeling even more alone than he did before. He had just forced the one person he could confide in out of his life.

Rose refused to allow herself to cry even after she left Scorpius' presence. She had no idea what had happened to him to make him behave as he did but she couldn't believe that it was real. Someone or something had to provoke him into this sort of façade. It just hurt her heart that he was being so cruel to her in private. That was normally when he was the most open and true to himself. He said those things to her for a reason but as to what that was, she didn't even have a clue.

The fight with Albus felt worse than before. Now it felt as though it was all for naught because Scorpius wasn't acting like himself. All she could do was hope that perhaps he would snap out of his mood and things could go back to normal. That didn't change the words he said or how terribly they stung but she had to believe that he didn't mean it. If she gave into the idea that Albus had been right, she was sure her heart would give out on her. No, if Scorpius wanted to be an arse for his own selfish reasons, she would let him for now but there was no way in hell she was going to allow him to speak to her as he did.

A sigh escaped her as she realized that at some point they were going to have to attempt to be cordial to one another. They were still partners in the tournament and there was a lot of research that still needed to be conducted. Neither one of them knew anything, at least that was her assumption. While she had not been able to conduct any research, she highly doubted that Scorpius did either. He treated reading and researching like some sort of contagious disease. The only time she had seen him do anything was when she forced it on him. It made her wonder how he had become second in their year and was constantly battling her for first academically.

Hoping that they both learned from the first task, Rose prayed that they would be able to work together despite their current discord. Their lives were at stake and petty fighting seemed like a pretty stupid excuse for getting killed. Slowing her angry walk, she gazed down at the coin in her hand. There was a faint imprint of the design laid into her hand. She hadn't even realized she had been gripping it so tight. Considering her current state of mind, it was no surprise though.

Once more, she made the trek back to the library. Honestly, as much as she tried to get research done, her mind had been preoccupied with her family and Scorpius. Now that everyone knew where they stood, she could shove it to the recesses of her brain and perhaps get some work done. The moment she stepped into the library, she felt a wave of serenity wash over her. This was the place where she could find peace and solitude when she needed to. There was something comforting about the silence and old aromas of ancient books.

Making her way over to her favorite table, she sat down with the coin in hand. The table was situated beneath a window that revealed the Quidditch pitch. Since the first task was over, it had resumed its normal decorum. It had been a good long while since she had done any flying and she considered maybe doing so a bit later. The following day classes were supposed to start up again so she wasn't sure if she would have another opportunity. It would allow for her to clear her head and the more she thought about it, the more definitive her decision became. She was definitely going to be flying later.

Until then, she gathered some parchment and her quill and ink before placing the coin down on said parchment. It was as unassuming as possible but Rose couldn't help but relive everything it took to gather the piece of metal. Both she and Scorpius had been considerably injured when fighting the chimera the first time. Little did they know how incredibly dangerous it really would become later. Once more, the images from that awful vision assailed her mind before she could stop them. Even as pissed off as she currently was at Scorpius, she didn't wish death upon him. Rubbing her face, she pinched her cheeks so that she could shake the phantasmagorias from her thoughts.

"Okay, I can do this," she whispered determinedly to herself before once more looking over the coin. She wrote down the Latin phrase, " _vae animae iter incipit_ " and stared at it for a moment. After nodding a few times to herself, she got up and sought out a Latin dictionary, which she found to be incredibly easy. Returning to her seat, she sifted through the pages and meticulously took notes. Already mostly familiar with the language, the translation came easy.

"The soul's journey begins with woe," she mumbled quietly before scratching down a few notes. Frowning, she considered the words carefully as she continued writing. Bearing in mind that this was the Triwizard Tournament, she knew that there was a great puzzle behind this. However, she also felt that perhaps this was the more simple aspect of the tournament. Granted, just figuring out the puzzle wasn't the only piece she had to worry about. There was the actual task itself, too.

Rose went over the translation in her head a few more times, hoping that something would jump out at her. The mentioning of "woe" had her thinking of her own sadness. Despite trying to keep her mind off of Albus and Scorpius, she was finding it to be difficult. Both of them were driving her up the wall and while she had vented some of her frustrations out on Scorpius' face, she was no closer to reconciling with Albus. Sometimes Lily would get involved but she was so caught up in Alek she probably had no idea what was going on. Honestly, that woman was almost scarily obsessed. Her other go to was Hugo but… he was also indisposed. She swallowed hard at the thought. No, she couldn't let herself drown in sadness.

Putting the translation aside, she decided to put her efforts towards discovering what the rune looked like. It was an odd shape and at first she didn't recognize it. She ran her finger along the upturned crescent and followed it down the cross that connected at the bottom. There was a dot in the center of the space the crescent created, making it almost appear like an eye was watching her. Having taken Ancient Runes before, however, she had a feeling that if the rune was anywhere, it would be in that textbook. Once more, she rose from her seat to locate the book amongst the shelves.

Instead of returning with one book, she returned with several. There were different levels of Runes that dated back to prehistoric times. It was a lot of information that she was going to have to sift through. This was why they had partners to help with this sort of stuff. They weren't allowed to cheat by asking for help with the tournament, but she could enlist the aid of family for the tedious researching. At least, normally she would if, for one reason or another, they weren't indisposed.

Grumbling rather unhappily to herself, Rose cracked open the first book and began searching through for the rune. She couldn't deny that she felt the pressure of the second task weighing down on her. It was roughly a month and a half away and she was just now getting to the research. With classes starting back up tomorrow, she was silently cursing herself for having wasted valuable down time. Despite his behavior, she was going to have to force herself to deal with Scorpius sooner rather than later, otherwise neither one of them were going to be prepared.

After a few hours of researching, with very little results, Rose finally gave herself a break. If she was going to continue alone like this, she was going to run out of time. Biting her lower lip gently, she recalled that Scorpius still owed her one hour of whatever she wanted to do. She wondered if he would keep his word considering his change of heart. If he did, she could use the one hour to get him to give her his undivided attention and help with researching the second task.

Her heart ached that she would have to use such a valuable gift on something like this. She had been toying with so many different options but with everything that had happened since the Yule Ball, there had been no time. It was saddening really and she found herself feeling miserable once more. Rose wondered if there was ever going to be a moment when she wasn't feeling so damned lousy. More so now than ever, she couldn't wait for graduation. She would be on her own and away from all the drama.

Even with this thought in mind, Rose wasn't happy. Until now, she hadn't even given it a thought as to what would happen with her and Scorpius after graduation. She wanted to become a Potions Master for the Ministry and, hopefully, that would entail traveling. Nothing would make her happier than to use her abilities to help those around the world. Scorpius was independently wealthy because of his family name so he didn't have to get a job of any sort. She wondered what he wanted to do, if anything, after graduation. Obviously, the two of them would barely see one another, if ever again.

Regardless of Scorpius' nasty behavior, she found that her chest felt heavy and painful at the idea of never seeing him again. Just a few months ago, the idea would have been joyous but now, she really didn't like the notion of the Slytherin being removed from her life. Sure, he was a great, big arse, but he had his endearing moments. Perhaps he was having a bout of madness because of the stress of the upcoming task and her family drama. Scorpius didn't come from a close knit family, the issues she was having with Albus would have seemed overwhelming indeed. Actually, it was overwhelming but she had hopes that it would resolve itself soon.

Rose returned her books to their proper places before gathering up her items and heading out of the library. Perhaps she would grab something quick to eat before flying. Judging by the daylight that had filtered in, she figured that dinner was about to begin. It didn't take her long to reach the Great Hall and she migrated over to her normal seat. Lily was already sitting there, surprisingly looking unwell. She was languidly pushing her food around her plate with her cheek propped against her hand. Rose sat down by the girl, equally surprised to not find Alek. The two had practically been joined at the hip.

"Hey, you alright?' Rose asked gently as she gazed at her younger cousin with great concern.

"Mh… I'm not feeling all that good…" Lily answered before sighing and halting her attempt at eating.

"Maybe you should try to eat. It could help." Rose gently reached over and began rubbing the younger girl's back. It wasn't often that she got sick and when she did, she normally toughed it out.

"I'll be okay. What's going on with you and Al? He seems rather pissy and won't tell me as to why. I figure it had something to do with you because mentioning your name causes that tic in his jaw," Lily inquired, causing a look of surprise to form on Rose's face. She hadn't thought that her younger cousin had even noticed with how involved with Alek she had been.

"Ah… well… you know Al… he likes to overreact a bit," Rose replied quietly, suddenly losing her appetite at the recollection of the fight. "He's mad about me and Scorpius."

"How about you actually tell her the damn truth or were you planning on more lies?" a voice snapped behind the girls, causing Rose to wince. She recognized it as Albus' immediately but her heart broke at his tone. This was the first time he had spoken to her in over a week and he was still just as angry as ever.

"Al -" Rose started before she was interrupted by the pissed off Gryffindor.

"Forget it, I don't give a damn," he growled before moving to sit at his own table. It had been a while since he had seen his sister and he wanted to talk to her but not with Rose around. The betrayal and hurt was still far too fresh for him to be okay.

Lily looked back and forth between her family members. Despite feeling sick, she was worried about the two of them. There was never a fight the two had before that wasn't able to be resolved. The fact that her brother was so mad spoke volumes. Yes, he had a tendency to overreact but whatever was bothering him was hurting him more than anything. She was sure his not speaking to Rose wasn't helping either. While she wanted to interject and get the two on better terms, her body wasn't agreeing with her and she could feel a migraine starting. The last thing she needed was to join in on whatever argument was going on.

"Albus, please, let me talk to you," Rose begged, feeling tears sting her eyes as Albus turned his back to her and promptly resumed ignoring her. It was more than she could stand.

"Is everything alright?" Alek asked as he took a seat next to Lily. It was obvious that there was tension between everyone. His girlfriend looked rather unwell, physically, but the other two seemed to be stuck in a verbal battle of sorts despite neither one of them currently speaking.

"Family stuff," Lily mumbled as she leaned her head against Alek's shoulder. She was thankful that he had decided to show up.

"I see. You do not look vell. Perhaps you should drink something. It might go down easier," Alek offered as he pushed a goblet of juice in her direction. Lily was hesitant, not even trusting that she could keep liquids down, but conceded.

"Thanks," she said quietly before leaning on him once more after she had finished her juice. Disregarding Albus' obvious ire, she continue speaking to Rose. "What do you mean 'you and Scorpius'? Did the two of you become official?"

"No… not in the slightest," she said quietly as she recalled her morning with the Slytherin. They were the furthest thing from being official. Hell, she wasn't even sure what there was to officiate. After their altercation, she wasn't even sure if they were going to be friends. It looked as though partners in the Triwizard Tournament was the most they could ever succumb to.

"See, she's too ashamed to admit what happened," Albus started in, turning around once more to glare at Rose. "Her obsession with that spoiled git has her keeping secrets and spewing lies. She was shagging Malfoy and won't admit it."

Lily's eyes went wide at her brother's accusation as she turned her attention back to her older cousin. The flush on Rose's cheeks only emphasized the possibility that Albus was correct. While she initially found it very hard to believe, Lily knew that Rose had developed intense feelings for the youngest Malfoy. If she really had been caught sleeping with him, Lily could understand why Albus felt so hurt. The two of them held no secrets between one another, despite how private or intimate the subject was. Considering the feud between families, this would have been an incredible secret to keep.

"I was not shagging him!" Rose screeched, not even caring at this point who heard her. Enough was enough with how everyone was treating her that day. She would not stand for it any longer.

"Oh yeah? Then why be so secretive?" he sneered.

"Because of this right here! Because of you!" Rose snapped, her eyes becoming bright with her anger and her cheeks becoming red and splotchy. "Why would I tell you anything when you hate him so much?! You won't even entertain the idea that he is a good person! You're just as stubborn as my father, I'm starting to think you should have been his son. Then the two of you could have a merry old time feeding into this idiotic feud!"

For a moment, nothing was said between the two. Further betrayal and hurt flickered in Albus' eyes but Rose saw that he quickly masked it with anger. She could tell that he was attempting to come up with something to fire back at her. Rose wasn't even sure that she had ever unleashed her full anger on her best friend before now. It felt like she was burning from the inside out and something painful was clawing at her insides, attempting to break free. She did her best to keep her anger in check but Albus had been the arsehole to cause her to let it loose. It was her father that she could thank for that flaw in her character.

"Oh, so now you can't trust me, huh? Is that it? I bet that was an idea that Malfoy placed into your head. Guess family doesn't matter to you anymore. Why should it?" he mocked.

"Family doesn't matter to me?! This is _your_ doing! I have tried to reconcile but you refuse. You're being a stubborn arse!" Rose shrieked as she stood up in frustration. On reflex, Albus stood to face her, his eyes narrowing further.

" _My_ fault?! I don't think so. How can you be so damned delusional?! I refuse to interact with you until you get back to normal!"

"How would you know if I was normal?! It's been over a week and you haven't even made a single attempt! You're acting immature and childish!" Rose continued, unable to hold back any longer. Between him and Scorpius, she felt like she was going to explode.

"I told you not to treat me like a child!" he bellowed, effectively drawing the attention of everyone around them. While he was used to causing scenes due to Malfoy, Rose was not used to the attention. However, at the current moment she did not care, even as she heard the whispers start up.

Ever since the squid incident, all Rose heard through the halls where whispers and snide looks. The Slytherins were worse than ever before but she found that even her own housemates were treating her with disdain. It appeared that more than half the school believed that she was to blame for all of the terrible events that had occurred. Whenever she would walk the halls, people would shoot her nasty looks or sidestep her all together. It felt like she had the plague or something just as equally contagious. She had thought that it wouldn't bother her, but with her own family attacking her, it felt as though she had been completely discarded.

"Then quit acting like one!" Rose yelled. She was absolutely exhausted with this exchanged and now, more than ever, she wanted to leave.

"I don't even fucking know you anymore! When did you become so stupid!?" Albus jeered before his eyes grew wide. Rose, having finally lost her composure entirely, drew her wand and pointed it at the man before her. Aside from practicing spells and friendly spars, Rose had never risen her wand to him. Albus wasn't sure that he could handle any more betrayal from his cousin.

"Quit. Insulting. Me," Rose demanded dangerously.

"Are you really going to hex me, Rose?" Albus asked tensely, his anger having diminished slightly as his pain began showing through.

"You're the one who hit me first," she responded. Shame and regret flooded Albus' face as he recalled having shoved her to the floor in the Hospital Wing.

"Th-That was an accident," he protested, losing even of his composure.

"Albus… you hit Rose?" Lily interjected, shock lacing both her voice and features. She could barely recognize the two standing before her.

"N-No! It wasn't like that!" he continued as he tore his gaze from Rose and looked at his sister. How in the hell had this turned on him? "Don't you see that she's trying to hurt me now?"

Lily could say nothing further as she looked between her family members. She had never seen either one of them act like this and, if it was because of Malfoy, she was going to strangle the man herself. While she wanted to say something, she knew that it would not be wise. Despite her intentions, one of them was going to think she was ganging up on them. All she could do was sigh heavily and look away. Alek was a much better topic of observation than her warring family.

"Screw you, Albus," Rose said quietly as she lowered her wand and turned away from him.

Gathering up her stuff, she made her way out of the hall. As she reached the entrance, she nearly bumped into Scorpius. He had been lingering in the doorway for some reason but she didn't give a damn as to find out why. As far as she was concerned, everyone could go to hell and leave her alone. She was tired of feeling the way that she did while she had more important things to think about. After all, the second task was coming up quickly and she was incredibly unprepared. Shoving passed him, Rose made her exit.

Scorpius had been feeling absolutely tortured since Rose left him that morning. His nose had been mended but the bruising was still taking a while to disappear despite the cream he had placed on it. Currently, he was exhibiting a glamor charm so that no one would ask him as to what happened. It wasn't because he was embarrassed that a woman had nearly knocked him out, but the shame of what he had done to cause it.

Having avoided his meals all day, he had planned on simply dipping into the hall to eat quickly and then leaving before he could run into Rose. Whatever fates were having fun toying with his life, had made sure that nothing went his way. He had seen the red head immediately when he entered, but was promptly distracted by the heated discussion between her and Potter. It was impossible to not hear what was happening as neither one of them had been concerned with volume.

Guilt was eating away at him like some starved, carnivorous beast. They were still fighting, and rather badly, because of him. It made what he had done to Rose that much worse. All he wanted was for the two of them to make up and regain speaking terms. He had thought that removing himself from the equation would make that possible. Now it seemed that he was just as bad as Potter and was only causing her more pain.

As he was about to take his seat, he felt as though his back was on fire and his face was meeting the floor. His already tender face was pained once more and he could tell that his glamor charm had been dispelled with the attack. Not that it mattered at this point. Moving quickly, he dodged another spell that was being launched at him. Upon impulse, he drew his wand and shot a spell in the direction of the previous attack. It caused very little surprise to find that it was Potter.

Already feeling like absolute crap, Albus lost all control when he saw Scorpius. It was that bastard's fault that everything was falling apart. Rose wouldn't let him slug the blonde haired git when they were fighting in the Hospital Wing, but now the Slytherin was unprotected. He wanted nothing more than to take out his frustrations on him. Smugness filled him when he saw the man go down, having not expected his spell. However, that feeling was quickly erased as he was hit in the chest with a return spell. Malfoy had recovered and responded a hell of a lot faster than he anticipated.

Scrambling to his feet, his first instinct was to call for Hugo for help. For a second, his heart stopped as he recalled that his best mate was still in the hospital. Rose was supposed to be helping discover what was wrong with him but she had been too caught up with fucking Malfoy that she had forgotten her brother entirely. He didn't need another reason to ignite his anger, but this thought did just that.

His next go to would have been Rose, but that ship had sailed. Lily was his only option left, but as he looked to her, he saw that she was no longer paying attention to him. She was fawning over Alek yet again, appearing to be feeling much better than before. Everyone in his family seemed to have someone else that they cared more for than himself. No one seemed to give a damn that they were falling apart.

Annoyed at his family, he charged to the other side of the hall, not caring about how much trouble he would be getting in or how potentially injured he could become. All that mattered was getting payback. As he reached Malfoy, he flung another spell at him which, disappointingly, was deflected immediately.

"You bastard!" Albus growled as he continued rapidly firing any spell he could think of at the man.

The anger the Gryffindor displayed was not surprising, however, the ferocity of his spells were. Scorpius noticed that Potter was working quickly which he was sure would disorient anyone else besides himself. Some of the spells were of a considerable level and rather dangerous if they landed as intended. The last thing Scorpius wanted to do was to cause great harm to the git, mostly for Rose's sake, but it was still something he was willing to do if necessary.

"Shove off, Potter!" he yelled as he continued to mostly deflect his spells.

"Fight me you pansy!" Albus demanded, becoming frustrated that Malfoy wasn't actually dueling him. Never in the past had the man before him simply deflected his attacks. They always fought one another, trying to keep the other on the defensive. Right now, Malfoy wasn't attempting to actually cause any harm and that was pissing him off even more.

"You're not worth my time!" Scorpius shot back. Damn, all he wanted was to eat something and leave. Despite his morning, he didn't want any trouble. It wasn't hard to tell what Potter was trying to use him for. Obviously, there was a gargantuan amount of pent up emotion and the prat wanted to use Scorpius as a punching bag.

Albus could feel his anger mounting instead of dissipating as he had hoped. He had been relying on causing Malfoy physical harm to help ease his emotional turmoil but with the Slytherin refusing to fight back, it was only irritating him even more. It felt as though he was spiraling out of control and he couldn't find anything to hold onto to ground him. Some of his spells were beginning to fly way off target, a few hitting some bystanders. Instead of halting him, this just angered him even more. In this single moment, he felt all his doubts, insecurities, flaws, and fury pulsate through him. Despite Malfoy being only to blame for a small portion of this, he wanted the bastard to pay the consequences for everything.

Gritting his teeth, he moved closer to his target and, forgoing the magic, decided to make things more physical and personal. It felt satisfying that Malfoy had not been expecting him to become physically violent as the first punch knocked the Slytherin off of his feet, landing him against the Slytherin table. Albus' vision became blurred as images of everything that ever bothered him came swimming into view.

There was the tension and pressure of living up to his father's legacy while creating his own name. He wanted to be his own person without being referred to as "Harry Potter's son" or the "son of the Chosen One." Any wrong-doings he had committed in the past, failed relationships, Hugo's hospitalization and Lily's drastic attitude change also assaulted him. Then there was still the guilt at being responsible for Rose entering the Triwizard Tournament and the pain at never being there for Rose when she was in trouble. He was annoyed that he had being rescued by Malfoy from the Giant Squid, essentially making him indebted to him. However, what ate at him the most was the agony from fighting with Rose both in the Hospital Wing and now. All of these items plus other small occurrences melded together as he continued to pummel the man before him. He just wanted it all to stop. The anger and guilt was destroying him.

Scorpius wasn't sure what was going on entirely, but he knew that he was getting his arse handed to him currently. It had been his mistake to assume that he could predict Potters actions. After being punched in the face, he realized that the Gryffindor had become completely unpredictable and rampant. During the scuffle, he could hear several of his housemates offering to help, but the more people who got involved, the worse it was going to be for everyone. Potter's complete disregard for any and all bystanders was dangerous enough. It surprised him that he was turning down the help. Had this been any other day, months before now, he would have gladly used the back up to put Potter in the ground.

Hissing in pain, Scorpius was sure that his nose had been broken yet again. While he was able to use very basic mending spells, he was going to have to see Madame Rosaline about this. She was used to tending to himself, Potter, and the youngest Weasley because of moments such as this. Though, he would have to admit, he had never seen Potter so destructive. There was obviously more than what he was letting on. This had to be more than anger at himself and Rose.

The pain was starting to piss Scorpius off by this point. He had allowed Potter to beat on him long enough without any real retaliation. Judging by the distant look in Potter's eyes, he could tell that the prat was lost in whatever thoughts were causing him to become so feral. Having been merely defending himself after the first punch, Scorpius found an opening and clocked Potter along the right side of his jaw. The move had the desired effect as Potter stumbled back, momentarily stunned.

"You… bastard…." Albus growled as he was pulled from his thoughts by Malfoy's attack. The pain effectively broke through everything he was feeling but the result was temporary as anger filled him once more. "Finally decided to fight back, huh?"

Scorpius wiped the back of his hand against his nose and lips, discovering that he was bleeding rather badly. He could taste the blood, though whether it was from his split lip or had slid down from his nose, he was not sure. Both of them were heaving heavily as they attempted to regain their breath. Neither one was going to be able to continue on much longer, but Scorpius wagered that he had the most energy as he had been on the defensive.

"Just what the hell is your problem, Potter?" Scorpius hissed as he glared at the arsehole. Seriously, this was turning into the day from hell from start to finish.

"You! You're my damned problem, Malfoy! I won't have you destroying my family!" Albus shot back. A quick glance and he noticed that while everyone in the hall looked on, there was a wide berth given to them. He supposed that he was to blame for that. Despite being angry, he felt some sort of rationality returning to him.

"You don't need my help for that! You seem to be doing pretty damn well on your own!" Scorpius snarled before he outstretched his arms to indicate the area around him. "If you recall, you started this and haven't given a damn who you've hurt in the process."

"Shut up!" Albus shook his head, not wanting to hear any more from Malfoy. The last thing he needed was a lecture from his self-entitled, spoiled rival.

"No! Take some damn responsibility for your actions!" Scorpius demanded as he took a step towards the Gryffindor. The idiot needed to be stopped before he caused any more danger to those around him and, hell, himself.

"I'm warning you, Malfoy, stay away from me," Albus declared dangerously as he saw the Slytherin approaching him. He didn't trust Malfoy in the slightest and he wouldn't have been surprised to find out that this was a rouse. In fact, he was expecting it.

"Or what?" Scorpius antagonized. Yes, he was sure this was completely unwise to do, but his own irritation was starting to take over. What came next, he most certainly had not been expecting.

" _Sectumsempra!_ "

Scorpius felt the very breath leave his lungs as pain unlike he had known took over his body. While he thought diving into a freezing cold lake was terrible, it was nothing compared to what he was experiencing now. It felt like swords were slicing, repeatedly, into his skin. Finding himself unable to breathe, he began gasping as he fell to his knees. Blood was beginning to slowly pool around him from the wounds and his vision blurred. Everywhere the spell had struck was burning like fire. He looked up to Potter with great astonishment before blacking out.

"Everyone stand back NOW!" bellowed Professor Deming as she was finally able to cut through the crowd. What appeared to be a normal squabble between the Potter and Malfoy boys, had suddenly turned deadly. The entire school had returned in preparation for the start of the next term the following morning. Having so many students crowding the two had made it rather difficult to reach the fight in time.

"Potter, get in the headmaster's office right this second!" she yelled before kneeling next to Malfoy. Immediately, she began performing a spell that would staunch the wounds. The whispers began immediately and several Slytherins looked on anxiously to see what would happen to one of the most popular members of their house.

Albus could do nothing but stand stock still in utter shock. He had no idea what the spell would do, only that he had seen that it was to be used for enemies. The book that he had stolen from his father's desk, along with the Marauders' Map, was a Potions textbook. It seemed odd that his father would hang onto something like that but Albus knew that if he asked him about it, it would only result in him getting in trouble. After all, he had no business sneaking things out of his father's desk.

Curiosity had taken hold of him and he would often sneak into his father's office so that he could read the notes in the book. If he had kept the book in his possession, his father surely would have noticed. While Potions wasn't his strong point, he found that the book had offered great tips but, apparently, they did not only pertain to Potions. He knew that the book did not belong to his father but instead someone called "The Half-Blood Prince." The book was old and the pages were starting to become frayed and brittle near the edges. Now, more than ever, he wanted to know why his father had possession of this book and who this horrific "Prince" was.

Despite how angry he was with Malfoy, and how much the two of them hated each other, he did not want to kill him. Seeing what the spell had done made him feel sick. How was something like that not an Unforgiveable? It could have easily killed Malfoy had the professor not shown up when she did. Despite her telling him to leave, he found himself unable to move. His brain could barely register what had happened, let alone what he needed to be doing.

"I will not tell you again, Potter," Professor Deming stated dangerous as she finished working with Malfoy. With a wave of her wand, she had levitated the boy and was heading out of the hall with him so that Madame Rosaline could finish tending to him. "If you are not in his office in ten minutes' time, I will deduct fifty points from Gryffindor for every minute you are late."

Still in a daze, Albus looked around him. There were several students who looked rather terrified of him while others proceeded to whisper and gesture in his direction. Just about every Slytherin looked murderous but what really broke his heart was Lily's reaction. She had pulled her attention away from Alek but looked to be near tears at his display. Why was he harming his loved ones so badly? What had he done?

The severity of the situation slowly began sinking in as he followed Professor Deming's orders and left the hall to see the headmaster. There was no way that he wasn't going to be expelled. He would much rather endure detention for the rest of the year then be expelled and have to deal with his mum's wrath for days on end.

The following morning, Rose did her best to be excited about the second term starting. Classes would be a great distraction from everything happening and if she combined that with research for the second task, she would be sufficiently busy. After she left Albus in the Great Hall the night before, she had gone out and flown for quite some time to work off her frustration. Seeing as how she would not have to worry about her Head Girl duties for the night, she had turned in early in hopes of avoiding Scorpius still.

When she awoke, it wasn't surprising to find that Scorpius had not returned to the room. After what he had said to her, she figured he was sleeping in some female Slytherin's bed. The bed was still made so she knew that he had not returned at all during the night. Attempting to not allow the thought to sting her, she had quickly taken a shower and dressed in her uniform. What she needed to do was get her head back in order before Scorpius had come along and confused her emotions. She was Rose Weasley and she didn't need anyone. All she needed was her family and ambitions. That succeeded in stinging her. Thinking of how torn apart her family currently was, hurt her.

"You can do this," she whispered to herself as she gathered up her bag and books. Taking a much needed deep breath, she left the room and headed to the hall for breakfast.

Breakfast was rather uneventful as Albus was nowhere to be found. At this point, Rose found this to be a good thing because it meant that she could avoid a fight. Lily was still as attached to Alek as ever, looking livelier than she had the night before. Digging into her breakfast and attempting to finish quickly, Rose didn't even notice the whispers and nasty looks until she was finished and heading out of the hall.

She caught several students looking at her, whispering to their friends, and quickly removing their gaze. It was strange, considering that nothing noteworthy had happened the night before. Was the school really that interested in the fight between herself and Albus? Noticing the death glares from the entire Slytherin table, Rose had a feeling that she was desperately missing something important. While gossip was nothing more than an annoyance to her, she felt that this might be something significant. Sure, whispers and gestures had been happening since the event with the Giant Squid, but it wasn't of this caliber.

Before she could take the time to ask anyone anything, breakfast was ending and she had to hurry along to her class. Something strange had happened but she wasn't even sure who to ask. Judging from the reactions of the student body, no one wanted anything to do with her. The next time she saw Lily, perhaps, she would see if the young woman knew anything. However, with as tied up with Alek as she was, maybe she wouldn't. If Lily was receiving the same treatment as Rose, she wasn't sure. Her younger cousin didn't seem to let anything affect her unless it pertained to her boyfriend.

Rose's first class was Potions with the Slytherins. Seeing as how this was a N.E.W.T. level class, there was only a handful of students that attended. Professor Brewer was sitting at his desk while the blackboard wrote notes by itself. As soon as she entered, he gave her an odd look before returning to whatever work he was performing at his desk. A frown appeared on Rose's face as it became apparent that even the professors were acting strange. Just what had happened? It wasn't until class had begun that she started to piece together what might have happened.

Scorpius Malfoy was missing from class, to which she found to be incredibly odd. The two of them had been waring for top of the class since they had entered their first year so the Slytherin never missed a lesson. In fact, he wasn't ever late. Rose was beginning to wonder if her not seeing Albus in the hall was no coincidence. With how angry her cousin was at Scorpius, she had a terrible feeling that something awful happened in her absence. It would explain the reactions she was receiving from everyone.

Worry and dread sat heavy in Rose's stomach as she attempted to get through her class. Had something happened to Albus as well? Despite her attempt to concentrate on the potion before her, she found that she was failing terribly as the cauldron began smoking and burning terribly. Panicking, Rose did her best to salvage it but only resulted in making it worse. By the end, her potion was a bubbling brew of black tar when it should have been thin and a delicate blue color.

Sighing heavily, Rose felt tears prick her eyes at the sniggering that followed from the rest of the class. Normally, she was the first to complete her projects and perfectly. It was plain to see that her potion was the absolute worst and she had failed the lesson. Absolutely nothing seemed to be going right for her and she wasn't sure how to combat it. Before she could do anything, the potion before her disappeared and she saw Professor Brewer standing before her. The rest of the class filtered out, indicating that class was over.

"What's troubling you lass?" he inquired as he leaned casually against her workbench. "It's not like you to mess up a potion."

"I'm sorry, professor, my mind seems to be distracted," she admitted as she sheepishly began cleaning up. Never had she felt as embarrassed as she did now.

"Would this have anything to do with Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy?" he inquired, obviously knowing about the event in the hall the night before. All the professors had been informed seeing as how the boys would be missing all of their classes until further notice.

Rose's eyes widened as her fears were realized. Something terrible had happened. The lead feeling in her stomach worsened and she felt as though she might physically become ill. She paused in her cleaning up to give her professor her full attention.

"What happened? I don't know anything, I have been attempting to figure it out," Rose inquired, earning a surprised look from the Potions Master.

"Oi, I figured you knew everything, hence your distraction. I suppose the mind worries more when there are less facts. It would appear that Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy were involved in another altercation but this one became more severe," he explained.

"Are they alright?! Where are they?!" she exclaimed, unable to control herself. This was all her fault and she knew it. If anything had happened to either one of them, she had no one to blame but herself. Yes, they both had tempers and normally fought with one another, but this severity was her doing.

"Aye, calm down. Mr. Malfoy spent the night in the Hospital Wing and should be with Mr. Potter in the headmaster's office currently. Their families have been notified. Now, class has ended, I suggest you move along before you're late. If you wish to return after dinner, I will allow for you to make up today's lesson," he offered with a kind smile.

"Thank you, sir!" Rose exclaimed quickly as she finished cleaning up. Gathering her stuff, she bolted from the room but not with the intent of heading to her next class. Skipping was completely uncharacteristic of her and she knew that she was behaving irrationally, but she needed to make sure the two were alright.

Rose was completely out of breath by the time she reached the statue in front of the headmaster's office. The griffin statue stood before it as it always did, but the stairs were not revealed. Being Head Girl, she was given the privilege of knowing the password in case she ever needed the headmaster urgently or had to escort some trouble maker to see him.

"Merlin's Beard," she panted. The griffin stepped aside and she watched as the steps rose before her. By this point, Rose wasn't even surprised by the headmaster's quirkiness. However, if she was him, she would change the password. It was such a commonly uttered phrase that someone in passing might be able to gain entry.

Once the stairs fully ascended, Rose slowly walked up the steps. She needed to regain her breath but she was also terrified of what she might find. What if Albus had been expelled? This was his final year and they had looked forward to graduating with one another. If Scorpius had been expelled, she was sure that his family would make hers miserable. The feuding between the families would never stop. Professor Brewer had said that Scorpius spent the night in the Hospital Wing, so she knew that it had to be bad. Obviously, Albus wasn't in nearly as terrible condition as it had not been mentioned that he too was incapacitated.

Her heart hammering heavy against her chest, Rose paused in front of the headmaster's door. Despite being closed, she could hear the voices within as though they were next to her. This wasn't enough, however, so she very carefully and quietly opened the door just enough so that she could see what was going on within. Thankfully, the door didn't decide to squeak or alert to her presence. Sometimes it would shout out when there was a guest so no one could eavesdrop. As odd as it was that the door was silent, she was grateful.

Inside, Albus and Scorpius were sitting in chairs in front of the headmaster's desk. The headmaster was standing behind his desk with his hands placed behind his back. Currently, he was dressed in his pin striped suit that stood out like a sore thumb in the wizarding world. His demeanor was as calm as ever as he looked between the two boys and their parents.

"Now that everyone is here, we may proceed," the headmaster declared as he remained standing.

"I don't see where there is to discuss. My son was attacked, near fatally, by Potter's son. There is no need for myself nor Scorpius to be here. I suppose I will accept expulsion but I believe that he should be sent to Azkaban," Draco growled, glaring at both of the male Potters.

When Draco received the owl concerning his son's welfare that had been it for him. Having just seen his son less than two weeks prior, he was tired of it being either a Weasley or a Potter's fault. The headmaster had described in great detail what happened and it had his blood boiling. Having been the victim of said spell before, there was no tolerance to be had in this matter.

"Like father, like son," Draco continued angrily, calming only slightly when he felt his wife place her hand on his arm. She said nothing, but he knew that she disapproved of his attitude.

"Now hold on a second, Harry never taught Albus that spell. The only way he could have known that was by seeing your son perform it," Ginny defended, placing a gentle hand on her son's shoulder. She refused to allow Albus to take the full blame. Yes, he was in a world of trouble for using the spell but there was no way he fully knew what would happen. Her son was not that cruel.

"And how would my son know anything of that spell? If you recall correctly, Weasley, it was your husband that used that damn thing on me," Draco countered furiously.

Albus' eyes widened as he discovered a dark secret about his father that he had never known. Of course his father would have never taught him the spell nor mentioned it. It was obvious that he was ashamed of having used it in his youth. The fault was Albus' for nosing around when he shouldn't have. Clearly, there was a very good reason why his father had the book hidden away.

Ginny was annoyed by Draco using her maiden surname. Some habits, she supposed, were impossible to die. There wasn't much she could say in regards to what he had said. Harry did use the spell on Draco but he had no idea what it was going to do when he did it. Most spells for enemies were incapacitating but not overly harmful. This could have killed the Malfoy boy just as it could have killed Draco years ago.

Scorpius, having recovered overnight in the hospital wing, was beyond pissed off at the current situation. The last thing he wanted was another reason for his father to be present at the school. Trouble always seemed to follow when he got involved, not that he could blame him this time. Surprisingly, things had gone well with him and Rose when Scorpius was last in the hospital. Potter, however, was not Rose and there was no friendship between himself and the git. It was surprising and not to discover that Potter's father had used the spell on his own father. Keeping this in mind, it explained why his father was so incredibly pissed. More so than he usually would be with the Potters being involved.

"You were incredibly close with Snape, I'm sure he told you all about it and then you taught your son," Ginny explained. The logic made sense.

"What does he have to do with anything?" Draco asked with a frown, wondering why she had brought up their old Potions professor. Yes, he had been a Death Eater like himself and had vowed to protect him, but other than that he didn't understand the relevance.

"Ginny, it wasn't Draco who taught Scorpius. Scorpius probably doesn't know the spell," Harry began, looking to Draco's son for confirmation. Nodding slightly, the youngest Malfoy confirmed his statement.

"Then how, Harry? How would Albus have come across such a wicked spell?" she inquired with a frown, not understanding what her husband was getting at. Harry sighed gently before continuing.

"Snape was the one who taught him," he answered. Ginny's brows furrowed in confusion before she continued her line of questioning.

"I don't understand. That's not even possible. The only way he could have would have been that book…" she trailed off before her eyes widened in realization. "Harry… you didn't…"

Albus quickly looked to his father, wondering what had happened. Whatever it was, his mother was not happy and from the ashamed look on his father's face, it was something bad. The last thing he wanted was to cause a fight between his parents. Looking at his current track record, however, causing arguments amongst his family seemed to be what he was good at. He noticed the Malfoys looking on with interest as they waited for an explanation. Even the headmaster, whom was normally all-knowing, appeared curious.

"Not too long after Albus was born… I came back here, to the Room of Requirements and located the book. I realized that, despite honoring his memory by naming our son after him, I had nothing of his as a memento. That Potions book was the closest thing that I had. Aside from that spell, it also holds valuable information," Harry explained before looking to his son. "That's how you know the spell. You have been breaking into my desk, haven't you?"

Albus physically shrank back into his seat at his father's disapproving look. While, apparently, his father wasn't supposed to have the book, it was still Albus' fault for breaking into things he shouldn't have. He knew that he was in a world of trouble and there was no getting out of this situation. It was better that he fessed up to everything now and save himself the hassle later.

"Y-Yeah… I did… with the map too…" he mumbled, earning a sigh from his father. His mother looked livid.

"Albus Severus Potter! I raised you better than that!" she grumbled unhappily before turning her ire on her husband. "And you! This was the very reason why you got rid of the book, memento or not!"

"Looks like someone's like their namesake," Draco mumbled under his breath. While he wasn't entirely sure what was going on, from what he gathered, Snape had written in a Potions book the spell that had been used. Had Severus still been alive, he would be getting an earful from Draco for both himself and his son.

"Draco!" Astoria hissed disapprovingly.

Despite it being under his breath, Albus heard Scorpius' father's words. Feeling lower than low, he hoped that he would just melt into the floor and disappear. No matter what he did, he was ruining some sort of legacy. Why couldn't he be his own person? Was his fate already determined no matter what path he decided to take?

"Ginny, please calm down," Harry said with a pained look. While he wanted to tell her that her own brothers, Fred and George, were no better, he knew that it was wise not to anger the red head any further. Any mention of Fred was still painful even after all these years. Also, he didn't like that the Malfoy family was bearing witness to their family squabble. This was something he would have preferred behind closed doors.

"Albus!" she snapped, causing her son to sit upright in his seat and look at her.

"Y-Yes mum?" he asked cautiously, attempting to ignore the quiet snickering coming from Scorpius. The git annoyed the hell out of him but his mum was terrifying when she was pissed.

"Why were you fighting with Scorpius? What was so terrible that you felt the need to use a spell that you had no idea what effect it would cause?" she probed angrily.

For a moment, Albus said nothing despite his mother demanding an answer. His gazed shifted over to Scorpius' momentarily, wondering if the Slytherin would rat him out. There was a lot of reasons that he was beating on Malfoy, but primarily it was his betrayal over Rose. Hell, he was sure he wasn't even justified in that either. She had admitted the reason she didn't want to tell him was because of his potential reaction. Too bad he couldn't get his heart to think that rationally. All that he knew was that she lied to him and it pertained to Scorpius. It was easier to hit the bastard then come to terms with his emotional pain.

"Just the normal stuff," Albus finally answered. Ginny frowned, knowing quite well that her son was hiding something. She turned her attention to Scorpius.

"Is this true?" she asked.

As tempting as it was to get Potter into an arseload of trouble, Scorpius refrained. If Potter wasn't going to admit that it was because of the feud between him and his cousin, then Scorpius was going to leave it at that. Somehow, he was sure, it would come back to bite him in the arse one way or another. He nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders.

"Pretty much. He's the one who hit me. I was defending myself," he responded, which was mostly true.

"Even though it is not enough, you owe Scorpius an apology. A sincere one," Ginny said suddenly to Albus, realizing that she wasn't going to get much of an answer from either boy. While her brother may carry on his feud with Draco, she refused to allow it to continue. Harry wasn't too much better but at least he knew how to be cordial.

"Aw, come on mum, don't make me," Albus pleaded, earning more snickers from Scorpius. The prat had a smug smile on his face that he desperately wanted to punch. Scorpius was enjoying this far too much, as he knew that he would. He was hoping that perhaps with his near death experience, he might more humble. Who was he kidding? His father was present so of course he was going to be a royal arse.

"Yeah, _Albus_ , you owe me an apology," Scorpius sneered. He had, after all, pretenses to uphold. Despite the conversation his father had with Rose, nothing was said in regards to the Potter family. It was clear that Potter hated him more than ever and he would be damned if he allowed the Gryffindor to see any more moments of weakness with him. He was caught off guard with the spell but he would not allow for it to happen again.

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, hold your tongue!" Astoria snapped, causing Scorpius' smile to drop immediately as he twisted around in his seat to look at her. It was Albus' turn to snicker at the fear that had become briefly apparent on Malfoy's face. Even he wasn't immune to his mum's anger.

Astoria was becoming rather annoyed by both her son and husband's behavior. They were both acting childish and she knew that she raised Scorpius to be better than that. Annoyingly so, it appeared that her father-in-law's influence on her son was taking over. She would not allow for Scorpius to turn out like Lucius or how Draco used to be. They were Malfoys but that didn't mean they needed to be rude and snide. The feud between the families was immature and unnecessary. For years she had been protesting it and made very little progress. Draco had informed her about Rose being with Scorpius in the hospital so there was hope.

The headmaster watched the two families with mild amusement on his face. While both boys were attempting to put on a show, demonstrating their lack of fear, it was rather comical to see both of them reduced to small children by their chiding mothers. There was no power in the universe quite like a mother's love or wrath. He continued to remain quiet. So far, the women had been doing rather well in mediating so his services were not needed quite yet.

"I'm… sorry…" Albus mumbled quietly, looking down at his lap. Ginny lightly smacked the back of his head, indicating that his apology was not satisfactory. "Ugh… I'm sorry, Scorpius." This time, his face turned bright red in embarrassment as he was forced to look at the Slytherin directly. Albus could tell that the blond haired bastard was trying hard not to smile but he was just as afraid of his own mother. When Scorpius said nothing, Astoria nudged him.

"Apology accepted," Scorpius conceded, making a face as though he tasted something bitter. This had to be the most ridiculous scene he had ever been forced to partake in. It was the definition of fake and it would change nothing. Hell, it was childish but whatever would satisfy his mother he would do. She could be terrifying when she was unhappy.

"You cannot be serious," Draco gaped as he looked at his wife and then the head master. "Their son nearly kills ours and a simple apology is enough? I refuse."

"No, you are absolutely right, Mr. Malfoy," the headmaster began. He watched as Albus paled several shades right before him. The young man looked absolutely fraught with anxiety. Judging from his mother's reaction, expulsion would not end well for the Gryffindor. Draco stood up a bit straighter, seemingly satisfied with this response.

"Seeing as how young Mr. Malfoy here was the victim, perhaps we will let him decide," the headmaster continued as he turned his gaze to Scorpius.

"B-But sir, that's not—" Albus protested before he felt his mum grip his shoulder tightly, indicating that he should shut up. Apparently, she thought it was fair. Internally he groaned for there was no way he wasn't getting expelled. Malfoy would make sure that he received the worst punishment available. He just hoped that he couldn't get away with sending him to Azkaban.

Scorpius remained quiet for a moment. Normally, he would have jumped at this chance to get Potter out of his life, possibly permanently. Now, he felt himself torn. While the bastard irritated him to no end and had nearly killed him, he found himself more concerned with how Rose might respond. Despite the way he treated her, he still cared for her greatly. It was why he had done what he did. If Potter was expelled, despite entirely deserving it, he knew that Rose would be crushed, especially because neither one of them had made up yet. It would make everything Scorpius had done be for naught.

"I think several months' worth of detention should be sufficient," Scorpius finally said. He earned a surprised look from all parties, minus his mother. There was a gentle smile that had formed on her face that indicated that she was proud of his decision. It sent a slight bit of pink to his cheeks. He was almost afraid to face his father, but surprisingly, after his initial shock, he seemed satisfied.

"Mr. Potter, you will be serving detention for the next two months with Professor Deming. You are to report immediately after dinner each night. Until further notice, your permission to visit Hogsmeade has also been revoked and you will not perform in any extracurricular activities. You are to turn in your broom to myself as well. I do believe this concludes everything," the headmaster determined as he indicated that everyone could leave. His gaze went to the door and he smiled just a bit.

Rose felt her heart skip a beat as it appeared that the headmaster was gazing at her directly. Noticing that everyone was heading towards said door, she quickly jumped back and rushed down the stairs. She didn't need to be caught eavesdropping but her mind was racing a mile a minute at what happened. While she had no idea what spell Albus could have possibly used, it obviously had to be terrible to land him in so much trouble. Ducking around the nearest corner, she waited for everyone to leave.

Albus could hardly believe that Malfoy had let him off so easy. He was so sure the prat was going to make sure he was minimally expelled and here it was just two months of detention. Something was going on and he was determined to find out. As soon as his parents said their goodbyes, after his mother chewed him out some more, he waited for Malfoy to finish sending his own parents off. As soon as everyone was out of view, the Slytherin glared at him.

"What in the blood hell could you possibly want now, Potter?" he grumbled as he tucked his hands into his pocket. The last thing he wanted to do was stand around and chat with the bloke.

"Why did you do that? Why not have me expelled?" Albus asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Who cares? Did you want me to? I can go back and tell the headmaster that you so desperately want to repeat your seventh year," Scorpius sneered as he shoved passed the Gryffindor. He didn't get far as he felt Potter grab his upper arm.

"Does this have to do with Rose?" Albus questioned, his voice a bit quieter than before. For half a moment, Scorpius stiffened at the mentioning of her name.

"Fuck no," he replied viciously. Potter was the last person he needed to admit that to. Considering every that had transpired between them, he didn't feel that would be wise. He shook the man off of him.

"Why the hell not? Since when does she not matter?"

"Since you decided to make her fucking miserable. So I don't want anything to do with her or your family," Scorpius growled, hating how much his words hurt. He wanted nothing more than to gather that woman in his arms and kiss her senseless.

Rose couldn't believe how much eavesdropping she had been reduced to in one day. She was expecting another brawl to break out between the two of them. It hurt to hear Scorpius admit to Albus that he was through with her. She kept hoping that he would snap out of it soon and things could resume as they had been. Her heart ached painfully and she wanted to leave, but she needed to find out what spell Albus had performed. If he would tell her, that was.

"I knew you were fake. You have no loyalty," Albus sneered before turning around and walking in the opposite direction. Rose silently cursed as she had been hoping he would walk in her direction. She would wait for Scorpius to leave before running after her cousin.

Scorpius had to bite his tongue to keep from saying anything to Potter's retreating figure. The bastard thought he had him completely figured out. Never had the idiot been so wrong. Unable to hide the hurt from his face, he sighed heavily before running his fingers through his hair. It felt like the more he tried to make things better for Rose, the worse they were becoming instead. With nothing better to do, he too took his leave, heading down a different hallway.

As soon as the coast was clear, Rose bolted down the hallway just as Albus turned the corner. She ran literally into her cousin as he had stopped suddenly. On reflex, he caught and steadied her. Rose's eyes were wide as she tried to gather why he had stopped so suddenly. They were the only two around.

"Why are you sneaking around and eavesdropping?" Albus asked, most of the malice having been removed from his voice. Rose was so startled by his change in demeanor that she forgot to speak.

"Ah.. I… I wasn't… not… really," she replied pathetically. Albus gave her a droll look that meant he found her to be lying and quite terribly. "I just… want to know what happened. Professor Brewer said that you and Scorpius were in trouble."

"We were fighting. I used a spell that I wasn't supposed to. Nearly killed the git. That's the end of it," Albus said curtly. If he didn't answer, she was going to pester him regardless of the fact he wasn't speaking to her.

"What spell?" she asked fiercely, tired of being evaded. Her cousin was being an absolute idiot and she had enough.

"Rose, it's none of your business. Let it be," he growled as he attempted to move passed her. Rose promptly stuck her foot out and tripped him. She was surprised by how satisfied she felt as she watched him tumble to the floor.

"I'm done with your attitude, Albus. If this is the way you want to be, then fine, but you have no one but yourself to blame. This isn't Scorpius' fault," she said sternly before straightening her back and leaving him in the hall. She would just have to ask one of the hundreds of students that had observed the fight or Lily.

Dinner, thankfully, was uneventful. Rose sat with Lily, although her attention was constantly on Alek. The most she had been able to get from the woman was the exact details of the fight between Albus and Scorpius. It was incredibly severe and Rose was surprised that Scorpius had not suffered more. It made her want to pummel her cousin all over again but she refrained. Albus sat at his own table but spoke to no one, not that anyone really wanted to speak to him. Rose had seen that a couple of his friends attempting to but her cousin didn't seem to be in the mood. The empty space beside him broke her heart.

In her miserable mood for the rest of the holiday, she had almost completely forgotten about Hugo. Guilt tore at her viciously as she recalled that he had been at St. Mungo's for nearly two weeks now with no change in his status. She had been hoping that the headmaster, Professor Brewer, or Professor Longbottom had discovered something but it was to no avail. Making a mental note, she would have to make sure that she spoke to the headmaster and see if he had heard from his colleague.

Rose's father had asked her to help in the researching process but honestly, she had no idea where to even start. On top of that, she still had the second task to worry about. It was still a little while away so maybe she could put it off a bit longer to try and help her brother. More pain assailed her as she recalled that Scorpius had offered to help her try to fix her brother. She was sure those cards had been thrown out the window. The man wanted nothing to do with her or her family. Depression settled heavy in her chest and it took everything in her not to start crying on the spot. Once more, she lost her appetite.

A resonate clang echoed throughout the hall, indicating that the headmaster wished to speak. This was the first day of the second term so all students were now present. The current talk had been of the hall's events the night before, but as the headmaster demanded attention, the room grew quiet. Rose was only half listening as the headmaster began his speech about welcoming back the students and the start of the second term. It was normal announcement items that she was surprised had not been done the previous night. She supposed it was because of Scorpius and Albus' disruption. His next few words, however, gathered her immediate attention.

"Champions!" the headmaster called out, wanting to make sure he had their undivided attention. His gazed lingered on Rose for a moment before bouncing around from student to student. "There has been an update on the second task!"

Rose sat up a bit straighter as she listened eagerly. Anything she could learn about the second task would aid her greatly seeing as she had very little to go off of right now. She was sure that Beauxbatons and Durmstrang had mostly figured it out, if not completely. They seemed to work in great unison with their partners but Hogwarts couldn't seem to get over their own drama. Rose couldn't help but slide her gaze over to Scorpius on the other side of the hall. Astonishingly, he was already looking at her but quickly shifted his gaze away at having been caught. Once the headmaster continued speaking, she returned her attention to the front of the hall.

"As you well know, the second task is supposed to take place at the end of February, which is a little over a month away. It has been decided that, in the spirit of testing your ability to adapt to situations, the second task will take place one week from today," he explained, causing an excited murmur to rumble over the crowd.

Horror filled Rose as she felt her mouth hang open a bit in surprise. One week before the second task. That was all she had to prepare. Somehow she had to figure out what the task was, complete the task, and keep herself and Scorpius alive. All of this was mixed in with classes and dealing with her cousin and discovering what was wrong with her brother. Her gaze went to Scorpius once more who shared her same expression. As their eyes met once more, they realized the same thing:

They were doomed.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **A/N:** My sincerest apologies for how long it has taken me to update. At first, I was at war with myself. Just like everyone else, I read Cursed Child and found myself despising it, wondering if it would blow my story apart. Then I just found that I didn't agree with a lot of the decisions made or with the story as a whole. (If you liked it, you are more than entitled to your opinion). My husband, my biggest supporter, urged me to continue. Then I had a friend who had a birthday and as a gift, she requested I write her something. It's as one-shot called Firewhisky and Rain. Go check it out :)

 **IMPORTANT INFORMATION!** Cursed Child will in NO way, shape, or form affect my story. If there are any similarities, it is PURELY coincidental. I have been writing this fic for about a year now and have established my own ideas and storyline. If certain aspects happen to line up, keep in mind that I thought about it first and was not in any way influenced by Cursed Child. I do NOT want any accusations that I am borrowing from the book. Just wanted to make myself clear as I pride myself on being true to my original ideas.

As always, please read and review. The greatest thanks I could ever receive is being left a review. This is probably the longest chapter I have written to date. I am sorry if there are any grammatical errors or items of the sort. This was my cursed chapter (no pun intended) because entire sections kept getting deleted as well as edits. I hope that you guys enjoy the chapter and that it was worth the wait.

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 21*~**

While she thought that patrolling would have been the best way to compose herself, Rose found that she was incredibly wrong. From the moment she found out that only a week remained before the next task, she felt her heart flutter into a panic. While the rest of the school seemed eager at the prospect of the second task happening much sooner than they anticipated, it had become Rose's greatest nightmare. With all of the current issues that she was enduring, this was the absolute last thing she needed.

For once, Lily had pulled away from Alek to give Rose a concerned look. While the younger woman wasn't quite aware of everything going on, she knew about the warring between herself and Albus and Hugo being in St. Mungo's. For half a second, Rose even thought that she had seen Albus demonstrate pity towards her. The moment was incredibly brief as he had gone back to staring down at his empty plate of food. Her heart had leapt into her throat at the prospect of the two of them reconciling but as soon as he looked away, she realized it was a rather fleeting moment and nothing was going to come of it any time soon.

Scorpius had shared her glance when the headmaster informed them they would be having to endure the second task in a week's time. He was just as aware as Rose was of how much trouble the two of them were in. Neither one of them had provided any information pertaining to the task and Rose was pretty confident that Scorpius still knew nothing. Of course, for the sake of not dying, she would inform him on everything she had learned but she was not overly thrilled about it. The previous morning was still fresh in her mind and he was one of the last people she wanted to be around.

Now, right after that shocking dinner, she was patrolling the seventh floor as was required of her seeing as how she was Head Girl. She had made sure all of the students had been ushered to their common rooms as curfew was to begin soon. For only an hour after curfew started, would she have to patrol before she could be released back to her own room. Rose thought that maybe being alone, in the quiet of the empty corridors, she would feel better. She was incredibly wrong as it allowed for her to be trapped inside her head with her hazardous thoughts.

She had made sure that her patrol route did not place her anywhere near the dungeons as she knew that's where Scorpius would be. Albus, unfortunately, was Head Boy so she was doing her best to make sure she was nowhere near him as well. Considering that she was patrolling the seventh floor, where the Gryffindor common room was, she knew that at some point they would coincide.

At the beginning of each month, she would set up the patrol routes of all the prefects, plus herself and Albus. Even though she and Scorpius had been on decent terms for a little while now, she didn't want to place them in a setting to be together, more for his sake than anything else. She liked to make sure that she saw Albus more than once throughout the night so that the job didn't feel so dull. While it was a great honor, the quiet and emptiness of the night could become lonesome. Having made the route in advance and being far too distracted to think about it, she never changed it. At some point, more than once, she would be running into Albus even if he was trying to avoid her.

A groan escaped Rose as she realized that nothing she seemed to do made anything any easier. The harder she tried to make things right, the worse she felt. She was starting to understand why Scorpius was a selfish individual. It was easier to take care of herself and forget about everyone else. Expecting someone else to look after her, normally ended in heartache. However, Rose knew that, despite her bitterness, she couldn't be anything but selfless. She would always end up caring about everyone, especially her family, to the point of where it did nothing but cause her harm. It would have been nice, regardless, if someone had taken the time to put her needs before their own.

Before she could stop herself, hot tears were sliding down her cheeks and blurring her vision. Everything had become far too much. For too long she had tried to be strong but she couldn't do it anymore. She felt so incredibly alone. There was a heavy weight pressing into her chest, threatening to crush and suffocate her. Her body was torn between passing out and hyperventilating. Albus hated her. Scorpius was being an absolute arse to her. Lily was ignoring her. Hugo was in a coma. Now she was completely unprepared for the second task with her life on the line.

The tears would not stop as she found herself slumping into a nearby alcove, leaning against the wall as she curled her knees up underneath her. Her hands went to her face and she sobbed hysterically, but not before she managed to choke out " _muffliato"._ While the spell would cause buzzing in the ears of anyone nearby, she couldn't very well use the Silencing Charm on herself which would eliminate all noise. After all, how would she remove it if she couldn't speak?

It was ironic that even in her state of absolute hysteria, she had been able to briefly behave rationally. Her chest heaved with her sobs and her frame shook violently. A curtain of fiery red hair was created around her face as she continued to cry, trying to push the oppressive weight off of her chest. She spent so much time bottling everything inside, attempting to prevent any moments of weakness or vulnerability being displayed to anyone, but she couldn't do it anymore.

There was a lot of guilt that was dissolving her from the inside out. She felt as though she should have been doing more to help her brother as her father was counting on her more so than the medics. Yes, her mother was incredibly brilliant but she was worried about her son. That was going to muddle her brain with emotions despite the rational side attempting to take over. Rose could understand the sentiment fairly well despite not being a mother herself. Her brother meant the world to her and it should have been her first priority to try and help him, but no, she was not a single step closer.

Scorpius had promised to help her and she believed him. With her entire heart, she believed that the Slytherin wanted to be there for her and help share burden she was attempting to shoulder by herself. If she had just told Albus the truth to begin with… no it would not have mattered. If Albus had discovered that it was her that was in bed with Scorpius at the time of the incident, he would have behaved just the same. Her cousin was completely irrational and at this point, he was so far gone in his stubbornness she wasn't sure if he was going to come back.

In such a short amount of time, Rose felt as though she lost everything and, honestly, she was terrified. The tournament was not something to sneeze at. It was incredibly dangerous even with having a partner. She supposed that the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students had less to worry about as they seemed to get along famously with their partners. She and Scorpius' discord was going to get them killed at some point and she was honestly afraid. This was not something she could do alone as the tasks required teamwork.

What was she supposed to do when her partner went back to being impossible to deal with? Both of them nearly died fighting the chimera the first time and that was only the beginning. The tournament would be getting progressively more difficult with each task. She was genuinely terrified that neither one of them were going to make it out alive. Her thoughts were plagued by the horrible memories of the dark vision the chimera had forced on her. Scorpius pissed her the hell off, but she didn't want something so violent and traumatizing to happen to him.

Her crying continued as her brain was overloaded by her thoughts and emotions. All she wanted was someone to hold her and comfort her. Someone to tell her that they were there for her and would never leave her. She wished that Teddy would write her back already so that she could feel as though one person had not abandoned her. The last time she was starting to feel so low, Scorpius had been there to be just what she needed. It was that man she desperately missed and wanted.

Why was her seventh and final year becoming so destructive instead of preparing her for her life after school? Ever since the school year started, nothing but horrible events had been occurring, typically involving her primarily. Even before the tournament had started, she had endured more than enough trouble to last her a life time. Considering the fact that she wasn't a trouble maker by nature, this was devastating. She would, of course, defend her family which ended in duels with Scorpius and his goons, but she somehow always managed to avoid detention until this year. This year, her whole world was falling apart.

Yes, she was wallowing in her misery. There was only so much even a strong person like herself could take. Eventually, her tears slowed until she was softly hiccupping from her irregular breathing. She was sure that she looked like a right mess, but thankfully it was the middle of the night. The worst she would have to endure was Albus, but if she was lucky, he was continuing to ignore her and would not pay attention to her even if they passed one another in the corridor.

Shakily, she stood up, brushing off her uniform and smoothing down her wild hair. She wiped away at her tears and took several deep breaths. The weight on her chest shifted a fraction, but it didn't resolve any of her issues. Now she was just incredibly exhausted and probably looked like hell. Her shift couldn't end any sooner but she knew that she still had a full hour before she would find any sort of relief. She would have to time it so that she either made it back to the Champion room before Scorpius or after he had fallen asleep.

After she was finished composing herself, she noticed a single yellow rose lying nearby. Frowning, she scooped it up and looked it over. It didn't appear to have been cursed, but charmed. She figured it must have been transfigured from something seeing as how yellow roses were not exactly the easier thing to come by this time of the year. There was the chance it might have been snagged from the Herbology Greenhouses but seeing as how it was the middle of the night and the flower looked fresh, that wasn't the most likely scenario.

Gently, she brought the flower to her nose and lightly inhaled its delicate scent. The rose definitely wasn't there before as it was lying in the hall from the direction she had come from. She wondered if someone dropped it, having seen that she was there and needed to make a fast gateway before the person got in trouble or if it had been intended for her. It was cliché, due to her namesake, but she sort of found it endearing. Not that she would admit that to anyone.

Rose quickly looked around, moving from one end of the hall to the other and checking the adjoining corridors. There was no one around which just made the matter even more confusing. A frown marred her features as she gave up. She had no idea how long the rose had been lying there before she noticed it. After all, her mental breakdown had lasted several moments. Whoever had prepared the flower had taken care to make sure the thorns were removed. Biting her lower lip, she also noted that the color was yellow which was often indicative of friendship or an apology.

Her heart skipped a beat as she wondered if perhaps Albus had left this. He was more than likely the one to have been prowling the corridors this time of night. Perhaps she was stretching a bit, but the idea made her smile slightly. Once more she inhaled the scent of the flower, closing her eyes. A feeling of calmness washed over her but it didn't last very long. She could be incredibly wrong and this had nothing to do with her cousin whatsoever. If she gave herself the hope that it did and he continued to be an arse to her, it would only destroy her further. No, she had to convince both her mind and her heart that it was fluke and things were as they would be. Sighing, she gently pocketed the rose on the inside of her robes before she continued making her rounds.

Albus sighed heavily as he watched his cousin disappear from view. What a damned coward he was, hiding underneath his brother's invisibility cloak. His father had handed it down to his brother and when James graduated, he handed it down to him. Albus knew that he was going to run into Rose at some point during the night. Despite her being the one to create the routes, he did actually pay attention to them.

What he had not been expecting, was to see her in the crumpled state that she had been in. All he wanted to do was comfort her and take away the pain. Pain that he knew that he was a great deal responsible for. The look on her face when the second task was announced was enough to make him sick. She had gone pale and looked quite sickly. His cousin was terrified which led him to believe that she was unprepared which had him worried Despite how stupid the both of them had been, him more so than her, the last thing he wanted was her death.

He wanted to apologize to her for everything he had done for the last few weeks. Rose needed to concentrate on the task and he knew that he wasn't helping. Hell, he almost killed her partner and then what? What if she had to continue on alone? He doubted they would send in a replacement champion as the Goblet of Fire made the Triwizard Tournament a legal and binding contract. Killing Malfoy would have inadvertently killed his own cousin.

Despite his heart breaking and his body begging him to reach out and help her, he was too much of a coward to do so. Besides, he was sure that he was the last person she wanted to see while she was feeling as she was. The best he could think of, was the yellow rose. He knew that she was smart enough to figure out what it meant but when she hardly reacted, he began to doubt it. For a brief moment, she had smiled, which caused his heart to feel elated, but just as soon as it arrived it disappeared and so did she. Which left him in his current state, hurting for himself and his cousin, feeling like a coward, and hiding beneath his cloak in the middle of a corridor on the seventh floor.

Scorpius was in an absolutely foul mood as he did his patrols through the dungeons. Normally, he didn't give a damn but tonight he was just beyond pissed off and annoyed. Rose and Potter were in charge of making the patrol routes for the prefects, which initially irritated the hell out of him, but typically he was kept in his own domain. Even with Rose having hated him in the beginning of the year, she kept him in the dungeons which he was sure was more for her benefit than his. This way neither one of them would see each other.

As the year progressed, the routes remained the same and that bothered him. He had been secretly hoping that since they had grown closer that maybe she would cross her routes with his and he would occasionally be able to see her. With his shift drawing to a close, he saw that was not going to happen. He supposed he should have been thankful seeing as how it was his intention to get her to hate him again but it could have not happened at a worse time.

Growling to himself, Scorpius furiously ruffled his hair, causing the immaculate strands to stick out wildly. What was the cause of his current ire was the fact that everything was fucked up. Nothing had gone right. His plan to make Rose hate him went well, too well, but he had been counting on her to be able to recover before the second task as well as reconcile with Potter. Now she was pissed at both of them and the second task was a week away.

They were completely unprepared and it was starting to feel like the first task all over again. Even if Rose could forgive him enough to help them both prepare for the second task, there was still the matter of Potter. Throw in the fact that her brother was still in the hospital, they might as well pick out their coffins now. How stupid could he be?! Why in Salazar did he think that this was a good idea? Why did he think this would make things change between Rose and Albus? He was so beyond pissed at himself and everyone that he could barely stand it.

Yelling out in anger, he slammed his fist into the nearest object which happened to be a suit of armor. He created a sizeable dent in the breastplate before the entire statue collapsed. His hand throbbed in pain but some of his anger dissipated. Grumbling in complaint, he grabbed his wand and resurrected the suit of armor before continuing to storm down the hall. If anyone had the gall to be breaking curfew, they would be on the receiving end of his wrath.

As the shift came to a close, Scorpius contemplated heading back to his own dorms for the night. In the off chance that Rose decided to return to the Champion room, he couldn't imagine that she would want to share it with him. Before he could stop his feet, they were already heading him in that direction and he knew why. There was a part of him, a large part, which hoped he would see Rose. Astonishingly enough, the Ravenclaw was at the other end of the corridor heading to the room, seemingly in thought. They both reached the door at the same time.

Rose looked up when she realized that there was a body in front of her, blocking her entrance to the room. She wasn't even sure why she was retreating to the Champion room. Having been patrolling on the seventh floor, the Ravenclaw dorms were progressively closer than this room as this was near the Great Hall. Her heart skipped several beats as she realized just who it was in front of her.

For a moment, neither one of them said a word as they stared awkwardly, attempting to find the words. Scorpius frowned when he noticed Rose's red rimmed eyes as though she had been crying. He wasn't sure what had caused it, but he could almost guarantee that he was a part of it. Rage and shame filled him as he continued to hurt the girl before him. All he wanted was for her to be happy but all he seemed to be doing was the opposite.

"Why have you been crying?" he asked much more roughly than he intended. Internally, he groaned.

"What's it to you, Malfoy?" she sneered, snapping out of her daze. This was a mistake, she should not have come here. Instead of calming down, like he should have, Scorpius bristled in defense.

"You shouldn't be crying," he replied gruffly. What the hell was his mouth doing? It sure as fuck wasn't connecting with his brain which was screaming to stop being so harsh to her.

"Since when are tears a damned crime?!" she spat as she shoved passed him to head into the room. "Besides, you should turn that judgmental tone on yourself. Merlin knows I've shed more than enough tears because of you."

Scorpius found himself rooted to the spot at her words. Finally, his ire died and instead was replaced with intense guilt. He knew that he had been the cause of her tears more often then he would like to admit. The problem was, he never cared before now. Until she had some wriggled her way into his heart, he didn't care what damage he did to her as long as he was striking back at her and her family. Now, it was killing him. With a deep sigh, he followed in after her.

"Rose listen –" he began but was promptly cut off by the angry red head.

"No, _you_ listen to _me_ , Scorpius!" she hissed as she spun to meet him, storming over so that she could glare up into his grey eyes. "I have had enough of your bull shite. I am tired of this back and forth crap that you keep putting me through. I don't know what the hell we are. Obviously, we aren't dating because that would tarnish your perfect family name," she said with a sneer, finding it ridiculous seeing as how his name was already damaged. "But I refuse to be one of those slags who has no problem just sleeping around with you and disappearing in the morning."

Scorpius' eyes widened in shock, stunned into silence by Rose's choice of words and anger. She had every right to be but it didn't make it any less surprising. Stupidly, his mouth gaped open and closed before opening once more, making him feel like an idiotic waterless fish. What the hell could he say in response to all of that? No, they weren't dating but it wasn't like he didn't want them to be. Apparently, his father had no problem with Rose and neither did his mother. It was his grandfather Lucius' voice he kept hearing rattling around in his brain and it was the thought of disappointing that man that pained him.

"You're not a slag… you're so much better than that and you deserve better than me," he quietly said after some time. This seemed to calm the woman down a fraction but not much.

"It's not up to you to decide what is and isn't good for me! You're not my father! I'm a grown woman capable of making her own decisions and if that means they're bad, then they're bad! But it's _my_ choice!" she yelled, balling her hands into fists but refraining from hitting him. Unwillingly, Scorpius flinched in preparation. Once more he tried to speak but was promptly cut off again.

"No, I don't want to hear any more excuses. You're not even supposed to be speaking to me right now," she said with a sigh, recalling what she screamed at him last. "But, we have to worry about the second task now. I'm not going to discuss it tonight but every day for the rest of the week, we are working on it. Every free moment you have is now devoted to this, I don't care if I have to pull you out of some slag's bed or whatever hell else you are doing," she threatened.

Scorpius frowned deeply at her constant accusations. Yes, he did have a bit of a reputation for being a playboy but it wasn't like he slept around with every loose woman in the school. At least, he didn't think that he did. He was pretty sure he just slept with women who wanted to be with him but were aware that he would not stay with them. Not every single one of them had slept with half the school… he hoped. Oh what the hell did it matter anyways; the point she was trying to make was that he wasn't loyal to anyone.

"Okay, fine," he said simply. Rose had inhaled sharply, preparing to fight his rebuttal but held her breath as she realized he wasn't arguing with her. Exhaling deeply, she frowned a bit at his willingness but said nothing more.

Realizing that he wasn't going to be fighting her, Rose went about moving around the room and gathering up her books and school work. Already they had homework assigned but nothing was due for a few days. She wanted to get a head start and at least keep her mind busy. Between Albus and Scorpius, she felt as though she was going to become completely mental.

Rose settled down at the low table that sat in front of the fireplace between the sofas. Her books sprawled across the floor and tabletop, she retrieved a piece of parchment and stared hard at it. She didn't care whatever it was that Scorpius was currently doing. What she needed to do was concentrate at the work at hand. There was a two-foot-long essay that Professor Deming had assigned them and she was determined, as always, to perform perfectly.

After a few moments of uninterrupted silence passed, she wondered what Scorpius was up to. She hadn't heard him move or make any sort of sound. Despite trying to pretend that she didn't care, she looked over her shoulder and frowned when she didn't see him. He wasn't lying in bed and the door to their shared bathroom was open, displaying an empty room. Apparently, he had left the room without saying a word and incredbily silently. Where would he be going at this time of night? She figured that he probably went back to his dorms because why would he want to stay there with her?

Sighing, she looked back down at her essay. What caught her attention was the corner where her name was supposed to be.

 _Rose Malfoy_

Flushing deeply, and not even caring that she had already written a few paragraphs, she crumpled up the paper and tossed it into the fireplace. A groan was elicited as she recalled that she could have simply used her wand to change the name. Now she was going to have to rewrite what she had already written.

Why did she do that? The thought of marrying Scorpius was beyond embarrassing and why in the hell would she when he was treating her like he was? Merlin, she felt pathetic. She was acting lovesick and towards the wrong person. The only way that Scorpius would ever marry her would be if it had been arranged and that would never happen.

Pain assailed her heart as she contemplated the thought that perhaps, he was already betrothed. Despite the way he behaved at school, he could have been getting it all out of his system before he was tied down. Maybe that was why he refused to let them be anything. The thought was depressing and before she knew it, she was leaning her arms over her work, her head down, quietly crying.

 **xXx**

Scorpius knew that it might be a longshot, but he was tired of waiting and debating with himself. It was after curfew and even he could get into trouble now as the prefects' patrols were now over. Not that he was actually concerned with being caught. He knew the school like the back of his hand and it was rather simple for him to articulately wriggle out of various scenarios with professors. There was just one professor in particular that he needed to see.

Even at this hour, Professor Longbottom more than likely wasn't in his office. There were some plants that needed specific tending to at even this hour of the night and the professor was incredibly dedicated. Even if he was in his office, it was in one of the greenhouses anyways. Scorpius just prayed that the professor would listen to him instead of turning him away and claiming paranoia or that he didn't wish to help a Malfoy.

As concerned as he was about the latter, he knew that the professor wouldn't deny him help because of his name. While the Longbottoms had every right to detest the Malfoys, the Herbology professor had always been kind and fair. It was rather unnerving actually. People being ignorant and rude to him he could handle; it was unnatural kindness that always caught him off guard. It was why when Rose started to be kind to him that he found himself screwing up even more around her. He wasn't sure how to act.

Thankfully, the nearest greenhouse had a faint glow emanating from within, indicating that someone was inside. Taking a breath, he entered the glass building, thankful to find that the professor had not locked it behind him. Immediately, his senses were assailed with the smells of dirt, wet vegetation, and various other floral smells. The further he moved in, he could also pick up the distinct odor of the less than pleasant smelling plants.

"Professor Longbottom?" he called out, wondering where the professor had wandered off to.

"Scorpius?" Neville inquired with a raised brow as he saw the boy enter the greenhouse. It was rather late and no one was supposed to be out on the grounds besides himself.

Currently, Neville was dressed in a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and dragon hide leather gloves that came up to his elbows. His denim trousers were dirtied with mud and various other substances that the plants he dealt with produced. There were several smudges of dirt on his face that he attempted to wipe away with his arm.

For a moment, Scorpius felt slightly bad that he had taken the professor away from some obviously intense work but this was incredibly important. He would never admit it, but he liked that he was the only professor to use his first name instead of his surname. While his name meant everything to him and held significance in the wizarding world, sometimes he just wanted to be out of the spotlight. He just wanted to be a normal Slytherin taking Herbology.

"Yes, Professor, I am in need of assistance," he explained. Neville looked the boy up and down, wondering if he was injured or suffering from some malady that required the healing extracts of a specific plant immediately.

"Ignoring what time of night it is and how it is past curfew, what is it that I can do? I am assuming it must be important if it could not wait until the morning," Neville stated as Scorpius approached him.

"Yes, it's a matter of great importance and I was hoping you could help me find the answer. It's something I discovered a few weeks ago… and I feel like I should have come sooner," Scorpius replied with a sigh as he retrieved the folded up linen cloth from inside his robes. "I found this in the hospital wing and… it might be a pure coincidence but it's bothering me. I have no idea what it is, but it was found near the bed that Rose's brother had been in. She told me that no one has been able to figure out what is wrong with him. Again, this might be nothing, but I figure I would try anyways."

Neville's eyes widened as he took the linen from Scorpius, noticing that there was a slight flush to his cheeks and he was avoiding his gaze. It was almost as though he was embarrassed at being caught doing something nice for someone. Neville would have laughed or even smiled had it not been bothering the boy so much. The severity of what Scorpius said, however, drew his attention once more to the linen in hand. Carefully opening it, he inspected the mud and powder inside.

"As I am sure you have discovered yourself, the bits of vegetation in here are too small for me to figure out what it is immediately, but I promise you I will discover what this is. If you are correct, and this does have something to do with Hugo, the boy owes you a huge debt. We'll be able to help him immediately. Thank you for bringing this to me," he said sincerely and Scorpius nodded in response.

Already, Neville turned to head to his work station to begin his investigation when he heard Scorpius speak once more, but this it was more softly, almost terrified.

"Please help him, Professor. He means the world to Rose," Scorpius said before taking his leave of the greenhouse, his heart feeling heavy.

He was torn between hoping the powder had significance and being nothing. If it was something poisonous, then Rose's brother was being targeted and they needed to find out why. Then again, if the powder turned out to be benign and insignificant, then they were no step closer to helping Rose's brother but at least he wasn't being attacked. Honestly, it felt like a lose-lose situation. Despite how he was acting towards Rose now, he still intended on keeping his promise and helping her with her brother. Even if she wasn't aware of it.

By the time Scorpius had returned to the Champion room, Rose was already in bed and asleep. She had been working on homework last he had seen her and either gave up or finished it that quickly. He sighed as he realized that she was once more in her own bed. What did he expect? It wasn't as though things were going to change and it wasn't like he was making an active effort to apologize for his stupidity. If he was her, he wouldn't be speaking to him either. Sometimes he made his own head hurt with his conflictions.

What did bring a smile to his face, however, was that he noticed that Rose was sleeping in a tank top and not her long sleeved pajamas. Apparently he did make an influence on her and he was glad that she hadn't reverted back. She was a free spirit and needed to demonstrate it more often, instead of being a stuffy prude. The thought had him softly laughing as he approached her sleeping figure.

She was incredibly peaceful and outstandingly gorgeous but he knew that he would never have the courage to tell her just how much she truly meant to him. There was a good reason why he could never be sorted into Gryffindor, he was a coward and typically only out for himself. Slytherin suited him and the idea of how his grandfather would have reacted if he was sorted anywhere else had him cringing.

Before he could stop himself, Scorpius brushed a stray fiery lock from Rose's pale face before leaning down to place a delicate kiss to her cheek. He missed her dearly. She lacked her normal vibrancy and fire. All he saw of her as of late was anger and sadness. She deserved so much better and he was going to make sure she got it one way or another. He wasn't a good choice for her but he would make sure that her brother was taken care of and that Potter got his shit together.

Giving himself just another moment of gazing at her, he finally tore himself away and readied himself for bed. As much as he wished that he could simply just fall asleep as his head hit the pillow; that was not the case and had not been for quite some time. For several hours he tossed and turned until pure exhaustion took him.

 **xXx**

Rose was livid that she couldn't manage to pull Scorpius out of bed the following morning. The man was practically dead to the world and she wondered what he had been doing all night that rendered him so tired and useless. She wanted to get an early start on her day, before classes, so that they could research together. Annoyed and refusing to do the work alone this time, she ended up working on more homework before breakfast and then heading down to the Great Hall.

She was halfway through her breakfast when the owls came soaring in. Excitement filled her as she noticed a familiar grey, white, and black speckled owl with enormous orange eyes land in front of her. He lightly nipped at her hand as she removed the letter from its leg. Laughing a bit, she fed it a piece of bacon before stroking him gently, commending him for his journey. It was Teddy's owl, Remus.

Teddy had the owl since the start of his first year at Hogwarts. When she was old enough, he explained to her that he named the owl after his father because he would not have children for a very long time and wanted to commemorate his father in some way. He was a metamorphmagus like his mother so he already felt like she was constantly commemorated.

When asked what he would name his hypothetical son, he simply shrugged and said he would figure it out if the time ever came. He was also reminded that his middle name was in fact "Remus" and that he was already honoring his father. Teddy felt, that because he did not choose it, it did not count and thus his owl was named after his father. He hadn't chosen to be a metamorphmagus either but no one had bothered to argue with him any longer. Teddy was a well-loved enigma.

Not ready to leave, Remus continued nibbling at her breakfast to which Rose did not mind, instead she was eager to find out what Teddy had finally written her. She had sent a letter to him what felt like an eternity ago. Her hand shook a bit as she carefully tore into the envelope, wondering why she was so nervous. Of course, she knew why, however. It was because it was concerning Albus and she was worried that Teddy would take his side in all of this and tell her she was being stupid. Honestly, she felt stupid but so was Al. Obviously having not inherited his father's penmanship, or so she heard, she had a bit of trouble reading it.

 _Rosie,_

 _Sorry it took so long to write back to you. I've been super busy for reasons I can't tell you here. As for your plight with Al, we'll talk more about that this weekend. I was told one of your Hogsmeade outings is this weekend and I wanna meet up with you at the Three Broomsticks. See you then!_

 _Lots of love,_

 _Teddy_

Rose frowned as she flipped the letter over, hoping there was more information than that. Groaning, she tucked the piece of parchment away and sighed. The weekend was still several days away and she wanted to get Albus off of her mind before then so she could concentrate on the second task. The event was the following Monday which was cutting it really close. What if she couldn't resolve things with Albus? Her distraction with Scorpius and the discord between them almost killed both of them the first time. While Scorpius was being a prat again, it wasn't the most annoying item in her life right now.

Shaking her head, she stood up, intending on leaving to get some research done before her first class, but then she noticed Scorpius lazily sitting down at the Slytherin table. Her fury from before returning, she stormed over to him and yanked him out of his seat by the back of his robes.

"Hey! What the hell is your problem?!" he growled before he realized who it was, not that it changed his mood at all. He was sleep deprived and starving.

"We're going to study now. It's your own damn fault you decided to sleep in," she demanded as she tugged on his robes once more. A few of the Slytherins around them snickered at the scene and a few looked out right awe struck that someone would act as she was towards a Malfoy. There was a slight red tinging Scorpius' cheeks at her causing a scene.

"Dammit, Weasley. Let me grab some fucking food," he snarled as he reached for the nearest pastry item as he was forcibly removed from his table. He would not hear the end of it from his housemates and currently he was not in the mood for Rose's PMSing.

"Don't care. That's your own damn fault," she said once more as she continued dragging him until he put the brakes on and slid out of his robes so that she could no longer pull him.

"You are being bitchy as hell today," he grumbled as he bit into the muffin he had managed to snag.

Rose was about to smack him for his snarky response but paused as she truly looked at the man before her. His hair looked like he barely put any effort into it and while his uniform was normally lazily put together, it looked worse than before. He wasn't even wearing his tie. A frown marred her features as she noticed the dark rings underneath his eyes. Holding his robes in her hands still, she slowly approached him, realizing that he wasn't doing all that well.

"Scorpius, are you okay?" she asked softly, forgetting that she was supposed to be pissed at and hating him. Gently she offered his robes to him, almost like a peace offering.

"Didn't sleep well," he mumbled between bites. Rose felt terrible for stealing him away from breakfast when he clearly needed it.

"Why?" she inquired as he took his robes from her and lazily draped them over his shoulders, not even bothering to put his arms through it.

"None of your business," he said curtly. "Now let's go seeing as how this is so damned important." Rose rolled her eyes and scoffed irritably.

"It's only our lives on the line but hey, that's not important right?" she sneered, causing Scorpius to roll his eyes in return.

"Drama queen," he mumbled as he followed her to the library.

 **xXx**

Several days passed and it was nearing the end of the week, making Rose feel as though she was going to pull her hair out. It felt like she and Scorpius had made very little headway since they started researching together. Mostly it was because the two of them could not stop bickering for longer than ten minutes at a time for one stupid reason or another. Rose could have sworn he was doing it on purpose, like it was a crime if they were cordial for more than a few moments. She wished that she could have her sincere Scorpius back; the one who comforted her in the Hospital Wing.

Rose had filled Scorpius in on what she had learned about the coin which only included the translation. Not surprisingly, the Slytherin didn't have a single idea as to what it could mean but the Ravenclaw had a feeling that he wasn't even trying. Every day he seemed more tired than the day before. Each night he was disappearing as soon as they would reconvene in the Champion room and he would refuse to tell her where he was going. A few times she even tried waiting up for him and would fall asleep before his return. One of these nights she was going to stalk him.

Scorpius refused to tell Rose that where he was sneaking off to was the greenhouse with Professor Longbottom. He wanted to assist the man as much as possible in hopes of speeding along the process of him discovering what that powder was. Unfortunately, it was so similar to several different types of plants that they were having to experiment different techniques to achieve the same result. Both he and the professor were suffering from a lack of sleep as Professor Longbottom still had classes to plan and teach while Scorpius had to attend classes and prepare for the second task.

So here he was, in the library, supposedly looking through what felt like the millionth rune book. He hated runes to begin with and here he was having to search an unreasonable amount of books just to find out what the marking meant on the coin. Hell, he wouldn't have been surprised if it meant nothing. On more than one occasion he offered to see what the other champions had figured out, but as usual, Rose was rule abiding.

"You know, your cousin is shagging the Durmstrang bloke. I'll bet she could get all sorts of info out of him during their pillow talk," he suggested with a yawn, earning a smack to his chest, cutting off his yawn which made him feel unfulfilled.

"She is _not_ shagging him and I would not ask her to get information from him just like I know she would not give him information about me," she said with a glower.

"You sure about that? She seems pretty obsessed with him. I wouldn't doubt that she would tell him everything," Scorpius declared with an arched brow.

"There would be nothing to tell! We don't know anything and besides, me and Lily don't talk very much anymore since she started dating him. She's been acting very strange since they got together. Like… she's moody and sometimes really sick and flies off into fits of jealousy that I have never seen. Even her and Hugo started fighting and they were as close as me and Al are—were," she finished with a sigh.

"Maybe she's pregnant," he declared as though it was the most obvious answer. This time he was prepared and ducked as Rose swung at him once more.

"They're not shagging so she's not pregnant!" she hissed, trying to be mindful of the volume of her voice. She didn't want the librarian to start scolding them.

"Have you asked her?" he continued, wanting to keep her ire up. If she was able to concentrate on arguing with him, then she couldn't let her mind wander. The problem with that was, they really weren't getting anything done.

"Shut up Scorpius!" she growled a bit louder, wanting to smash his face with the book she was currently reading. Knowing when enough was enough, the Slytherin did remain quiet as he continued to languidly flip through his current book.

"Oh, Merlin!" Rose exclaimed, earning a severe "shh!" from the librarian. Scorpius didn't even bother looking up from his book.

"What is it?" he inquired with great boredom.

"Merlin!"

"Yeah, I got that. What's got you so excited?"

"No, you git, I literally mean Merlin!" she huffed as she drew his attention to the book she was looking at.

The section of runes that she had been looking at dated back to the time of Merlin. Currently, she was staring at the rune that represented him. It was three rounded swirls that connected together in a triangular shape. Near his rune was that of Morgana which was a tree that demonstrated long, winding roots and bare branches that outstretched upwards, splitting off so that there were several subdivisions of twigs.

It was the next rune that caught her attention. It was a dragon of sorts, decorated in gold but the symbol appeared to almost be squished as it was hard to tell the body of the dragon apart from the wings that were stretched above its head. The names beneath the rune caught her off guard. 

_Pen Draig (Pendragon) - Uther Pendragon / Arthur Pendragon (King Arthur of Camelot)  
_

For some reason this struck as incredibly significant to her. Some sort of magic was surrounding this name and she could practically feel the buzzing as she ran her fingers over the symbol again and again. Even Scorpius seemed intrigued as his brows furrowed, deep in thought.

"You said Merlin…. but Pendragon seems… familiar," he said slowly, trying to also discover what this could mean.

"See, you can feel it too. Scorpius, didn't something like this happen to us during the first task? I feel like… we were onto something and then… forgot," she asked as she also frowned, her head aching as she fought against some sort of barrier. It was like there was a wall up around her mind and she wasn't supposed to figure out this information.

"I…. yes…. I think… dammit I don't know!" he grumbled as he pressed his fingers to his temples. He was far too tired for this crap and now his head was aching something fierce. What he found disconcerting was that he was experiencing the same feeling that Rose was only he was too familiar with the sensation.

When practicing Occlumency, one had to place several barriers up around their mind so that it could not be penetrated by anyone using Legilimency. When attempting to use Legilimency against someone who was practiced in Occlumency, there were barriers that had to be penetrated. It almost felt as though this sensation he was experiencing was working in reverse. The barriers should be felt if he was penetrating someone else's mind, not his own. Had someone placed barriers around his mind? Around Rose's mind? Hell, who else was involved?

"I don't like this feeling…" Rose mumbled as she shook her head. She was not practiced in neither Occlumency or Legilimency. There was never a need to learn and it was even harder to find a teacher.

"No, it's not pleasant, but I have a hunch," he declared before explaining his Occlumency theory.

"Do you think… someone can place a protective barrier around… a word or a thought?" Rose inquired, having ever come across such a thing before. "I mean, something that would affect a large amount of people. Like a name for example. Could someone put up a barrier around a name so that no one could recall it?"

"Maybe if they were the world's best Legilimens and Occlumens. They would have to have an incredible understanding of both and a hell of a lot of time to perfect it. I haven't ever heard of such a thing happening but… then again how could I if they did their job right?" he mused unhappily. This whole thing had his head hurting once more. It was confusing.

"Do you… are you a Leglimens?" Rose asked softly, wondering if it was a skill that Scorpius had been forced to learn. His hesitation was enough of an answer for her.

"I'm both… and quite good… but not that good I assure you," he said quickly, not wanting to take the blame for something he most certainly could not accomplish.

"No, I don't mean to say that this is your fault. I just mean… could you break through the barriers?" she wondered, her tone curious and hopeful. Once more Scorpius was quirt as he mulled this over.

"I… I can try…. But I have to use a vessel. I would have to use your mind. I can't very well break into the 'thoughts' of a book or symbol can I? If that's what they've done, I'm afraid I know no other way than to use a person's mind. Using my mind would be impossible seeing as how I'm the one trying to break the barriers," he explained carefully, watching her reaction.

Rose inhaled sharply, understanding his implications. He would have full access to her mind and she would have to trust him not to go snooping around her thoughts as she didn't know the first thing about Occlumency and therefore could not shut off her mind to anything she didn't want him to see. It was a huge leap of faith and she wasn't sure if she was ready for that. However, being the Ravenclaw that she was, the curiosity of the knowledge was clawing away at her. Hell, this didn't even have anything to do with the second task and yet she still couldn't push the thought out of her mind.

"Fine, you can use me but I am putting a lot of trust into you right now. Something you are not deserving of," she said sternly, but was immediately surprised by how Scorpius' face softened.

"I know… I promise I won't look around. Just concentrate on 'Pendragon' and I'll work my 'magic'," he said with a smirk, earning an eye roll from Rose at the sudden attitude change.

Becoming serious, Scorpius gently took her hands into his, finding that contact typically made the process easier. Rose wasn't warding her own mind against him. What he was finding was that it was that single word, "Pendragon" that was being blockaded and the barriers weren't even the red head's. The magical signature belonged to someone entirely different. His grey eyes bore into her cerulean ones as they firmly locked gazes.

" _Legilimens,_ " he whispered, not needing his wand to perform the spell.

Rose continued to think of the name "Pendragon" and nothing else. It was incredibly important that she not allow for him to have access to her mind. She had never had someone use Legilimency before but she found it be incredibly invasive. It was as though someone was physically pushing memories and thoughts around in her head and they were drifting about complacently like floating through water. She jolted a bit, gripping Scorpius' hands tightly as she felt him grasp a firm hold on the barriers surrounding that name.

Scorpius would be lying if he didn't admit that he wanted to look around in Rose's mind. He wanted to know her thoughts, feelings, and desires especially pertaining to him but he had given her his word. Despite their rocky relationship, he was a man of his word and upheld his established morals. Gently, he pushed aside her stray thoughts and memories that were curious of his intrusion, almost willing to make themselves known. He had a suspicion that this was the defense provided by the name he was trying to break. It was trying to distract him by gathering other items of interest and placing them before him. However, he would not be deterred.

Finally, he approached the barrier surrounding the name and began chipping away at it. He felt a bead of sweat slide down his face as his concentration increased. This was no easy task and the harder he tried to penetrate the barriers, the harder it fought back. He had never encountered anything like this before and it made him even more determined to succeed. One way or another, he would not be best.

He felt Rose grip his hands and he returned the gesture, trying to bring comfort to her as he continued to penetrate the barriers. While they were both looking at one another, he was not seeing her directly as he was sure she was feeling the same. She would be able to see exactly what he was doing as it was her mind that he was messing around in. He hoped that, somehow, if he broke the barrier in her mind, it might break the one in his own. Otherwise, Rose would be the only one to know the secret unless they could find someone to perform Legilimency on himself.

"S-Scorpius…. It… hurts…" Rose whispered in a strained tone. The further he broke at the barrier, the more defensive it became and now it was starting to become physical.

"I know, baby, just a bit longer," he urged her as he made a final push against the barrier, feeling relief flood himself and Rose as it broke apart. The word "Pendragon" was left bare before him and he wasted no time in revealing the information that he found.

"Salem Hadwin Pendragon. Write this down. I don't know if I will remember after I remove myself from your mind," he commanded.

Rose did as she was told and removed one of her hands from Scorpius' grasp and wrote down the name on the nearest bit of parchment. Her eyes widened as she realized why the name seemed so important and familiar. While it was neither one of the names that were listed in the book, she knew who it did belong to.

"That's the headmaster's name! That's why we can't ever remember it! He was the one who did this!" she said excitedly, earning another disapproving "shh!" from the librarian.

Panting softly, Scorpius removed himself from Rose's mind and leaned back, feeling exhausted from the endeavor. It had been such a very long time since he had needed to use that spell and most certainly not against something so difficult and… odd. He looked to Rose with a frown as he read what she had written down.

"Who is Salem Pendragon?" he inquired, having already forgotten what she said. Rose frowned heavily as she realized that what Scorpius had feared would happen, did come true.

"It's our headmaster… but you're not going to remember this. I'm going to find a way to break this barrier if not just from your mind, then everyone's. There has to be a reason why he doesn't want anyone to know his name and the fact that he is a descendent of King Arthur," she said as Scorpius began rubbing his temple with one of his hands. Between his lack of sleep and sudden exertion, he did not look well.

"That's just… ridiculous. You said… we felt like this before during the first task. Why?" he asked as he tried to make his headache go away. For a moment Rose was silent as she tried to recall what they had been doing.

"We… were researching like we were now. The headmaster had come in and distracted us. One of the books we had must have had some sort of information pertaining to King Arthur or Merlin. We were looking into all sorts of things trying to figure out what the first task was. That must be the key to at least noticing that something is amiss. It's like the books are working against what has been done to the word," she explained, earning a confused look from Scorpius.

"Okay… maybe that makes sense… I guess. Surely we're not the only ones to read up on Merlin or King Arthur," he pointed out.

"Yeah I know… but as soon as the book was put away, we forgot that we even had the discussion about the headmaster. He's hiding something…" she declared.

"Well, that much is obvious. Then… what you are saying is once that book is shut, I'll forget we even had this conversation but… hopefully you will remember because I was at least able to break the barrier in your mind," he stated, earning a nod from Rose.

"I'm going to find out how to break the barrier either from your mind or everyone else's. I'm going to see the headmaster after the second task," she promised before sighing. "This didn't help us at all for the task and we wasted time."

"It was your idea," Scorpius started but held up his hand as she went to protest. "But I also agreed to it. So we're both at fault. Guess we should get back to the _task_ at hand," he said with a smirk. Rose couldn't help but laugh a bit at his ridiculousness.

Scorpius was stunned by the sound of her laugh, something that he hadn't heard in weeks. His heart soared at the fact that it was him who caused it. Her soft hand was still in his own and Rose seemed to notice as well as she suddenly removed it, recalling that she was still mad at him for… well everything.

"I think that's going to be it for now. We can pick up on more research later tonight after our patrols," Rose suggested, noticing that Scorpius wasn't doing all that great and she was pretty exhausted too.

"I can't. There's something I have to take care of tonight. We can just get up early and work on it," Scorpius countered. He needed to continue helping Professor Longbottom in his experimentations. Rose frowned deeply and crossed her arms over her chest at his response.

"You don't even wake up at a normal hour, let alone early. What are you doing at night that's more important than us figuring out how to stay alive?" she demanded, wanting to know what he was hiding from her.

"I have told you it's none of your business," he growled as he stood up, gathering his bag. Technically, it was her business but he was far too exhausted and irritated to go into details with her. Before she could interrogate him further, he booked it from the library.

Rose huffed angrily as Scorpius left, obviously refusing to let her know what in the hell was going on with him. No one in her life was acting normal. While Albus was no longer being cruel to her, he was still actively avoiding her, Lily was in her own little world, Hugo was still in the hospital, and Scorpius had, well, returned to being Scorpius. The thought of Teddy visiting her that weekend was the only thing keeping her sane. Sighing deeply, she checked out a few books before she gathered up her own items and took her leave.

 **xXx**

The night before she was supposed to meet Teddy in Hogsmeade, Rose was determined to figure out where Scorpius had been going for the last several nights. She made sure that she had returned to the Champion room after their rounds before he did and slid into bed as though she was turning in early. If Scorpius didn't think she was awake, he would not suspect that she was following him, not that it would matter. Earlier, she had nicked Albus' invisibility cloak from his dorm room. Being Head Girl had its privileges as it allowed her the passwords to all the common rooms.

As soon as she heard Scorpius leave the room, she threw the covers off her, still fully dressed, and donned the cloak. She slipped out of the room and followed the Slytherin silently. He appeared to be in deep thought so she was sure he wouldn't have heard her anyways. The entire way she followed him, she silently chastised herself for stooping to this level. Scorpius' business was his own and she should have been spending this time in figuring out the second task. All these damn distractions were going to get them killed, she just knew it. She just hoped that it was worth it. Scorpius wasn't being helpful in researching the task so she justified her sneaking around by mentally declaring that once she figured out what he was doing she could get him to stop and concentrate. They only had the weekend left to come up with a plan.

Rose wasn't surprised by how easily the two of them were able to sneak out of the castle. Scorpius was a prefect so he knew all of the routes and what professors would be where, especially the caretaker. It was obvious that this was a familiar path for the Slytherin for he never bothered to stop and check to make sure that the coast was clear. The curiosity was killing Rose as she continued to follow him, surprised when they heading towards the greenhouses. She couldn't imagine what it was that he would need here at this time of night.

She had to move quickly as Scorpius opened the glass door to let himself inside. Silently grunting, she slid in close behind him as the door shut. Frowning, the Slytherin looked around, feeling as though something was off, before dismissing it and heading over to Professor Longbottom, whom was bent over a workbench. Slowly, Rose exhaled, relieved that she had not been caught.

"Ah, Scorpius. I'm afraid there is no further development," Neville said sadly as he looked up at the hopeful Slytherin. The two of them demonstrated extreme exhaustion and disappointment at his words.

"You can't figure out what it is?" Scorpius asked quietly as he approached the bench. There were various plants strewn about. There were various states that the items were in. Some were cut, stewed, crushed, diced, and there was even a smoking cauldron indicating that something was being boiled.

"Not yet. I'm afraid, I can't be certain yet but… I do believe it is a poison. There is a potion that I am waiting for Professor Brewer to finish preparing that should help in giving us exactly what family it belongs to. From there we won't be taking stabs in the dark," he explained to which Scorpius sighed heavily yet again.

"Let me guess, the professor didn't have this potion in stock and now it's going to take a few days for it to reach maturity. I hate complicated potions… they take forever," he growled, knowing his potions quite well. He had been hoping that maybe one of the professors might have had some in stock if Professor Longbottom couldn't figure it out before then.

"I'm sorry, Scorpius," Neville said, at a loss for words. A moment of silent passed between the men, both wrapped up in their own thoughts.

Rose was beyond confused and it took everything in her to not reveal herself in that given moment. Why did Scorpius need research on a poison? Surely he would be able to figure out what it was and how to fix it? No, clearly he had no idea what was going on. Why was it so important? Not only that but it seemed just as important to Professor Longbottom as well.

"Is there anything I can help with tonight?" Scorpius asked after a long moment, hoping that he could do something to help speed along the process.

"Unfortunately no, there isn't. I'll send word if I need you but until then, you don't need to keep coming out here. Besides, don't you have a task to worry about in a few days?" he asked, a small smile on his face.

"You're starting to sound like Rose," the blond mumbled as he exhaled deeply. With himself and Rose both being as incredibly distracted as they were, he would be surprised if they survived on Monday, let alone retrieved high marks.

"She's a smart one," he said simply. "Come on, I'll walk you out."

Scorpius had no choice but to concede to the professor's demands. While he was being kind currently, if the Slytherin pushed too hard, he still had the ability to get him into a lot of trouble. Rose slipped out the door first as Neville held it open for Scorpius and he delayed in walking through. Dashing off to the side, Rose removed her cloak and stepped into view, making it seem as though she came from somewhere nearby. The surprised and guilty look on both of the men's faces would have been comical had she not been annoyed.

"Seems rather late to be getting Herbology lessons, Malfoy," Rose said sternly. Even Neville shifted nervously until he recalled that he was a professor and that she should not have been out either.

"Even as Head Girl, it is not appropriate for you to be out here. The business between myself and Scorpius is private, I suggest heading back to the castle before I am forced to issue a detention," Neville said professionally which Rose tried very hard not to smile at. The man was a very close friend of the family and not very strict either. That was not to say he could be walked upon either. She had seen him snap on an unruly student and hand out detentions.

"Why are you researching poisons?" Rose asked directly, watching as Scorpius paled several shades right in front of her. Neville wasn't sure how to respond as Scorpius had made it clear that he wanted to keep this a secret from Rose. When neither would answer, she glared at the blonde. "Well?"

"Rose this is none of your—"

"God dammit Scorpius! If you tell me one more time 'it's not my business' I am going to strangle you right in front of the professor!" she yelled, annoyed that he was still trying to brush her off.

"Scorpius… you might as well tell her. It _is_ her business and she may be able to help. No offense to you, but her marks are higher than yours in both Herbology and Potions," Neville said softly. Scorpius battled with himself before growling, far too tired to fight anymore.

"Fine, whatever! I found a stupid powder near one of the beds in the Hospital Wing. It just so happened to be the bed that your brother was in. I thought it might be relevant so I brought it Professor Longbottom to get it figured out. That's what I have been doing for the last week," he murmured unhappily, quiet annoyed that nothing seemed to be going his way.

Rose found herself dumbstruck at his admittance. He had been sneaking out every night to research something that might have to do with her brother's ailment. Despite the fight he had caused several days ago, he was still helping her. She wasn't sure how to react immediately. Her first instinct was to hug him tightly and thank him for his kindness and the other instinct was to punch him in his perfect face for being a git and hiding this from her.

"It looks like you two have a lot to talk about. I suggest heading back to your rooms. If you are caught, I won't defend you. As of right now, I will pretend neither of you were here," Neville said with a smirk before he headed back into the greenhouse, shaking his head and mumbling "young love" under his breath.

Before Rose had a chance to ask Scorpius any questions, he began charging towards the castle, as though trying to escape her. Finding this childish, she stood there for a moment trying to comprehend his behavior before she ran after him. Thankful for her athletic training due to Quidditch, she found herself able to catch up to him and tackle the man to the ground. They rolled for a second before Rose planted herself on top of him and forced his hands above his head so that he couldn't move. It didn't matter if they were caught at this point.

Scorpius was breathing heavily from having tried to outrun Rose and then being wrestled to the ground. Before he knew it, her body was pressed firmly against his and his hands were being restricted. The position alone was enough to distract him and almost immediately his thoughts went elsewhere. He missed her closeness and the feeling of her softness against him. The moonlight tangled in her fiery hair and even in the dim light he could see that her face was flushed from exertion. His adrenaline had all of the blood rushing to a very specific part of his body. A part that her hips were pressed firmly against.

"Fess up, Scorpius!" she hissed, bringing his attention to her face. The position was still distracting but her anger was a bit more so.

"Would you calm down?! Not that I mind but do you really want to drag someone's attention over here and inquire as to why we are shagging in the middle of the night on the castle grounds?" he asked with a smirk, delighting in the way her cheeks flushed.

"We are _not_ shagging," she grumbled but did indeed lower her voice.

"Aw, don't you want to?" he said as he pressed his hips upwards towards hers, indicating to her that his body was more than willing. Her cheeks flushed even deeper and she rolled off of him immediately.

"Q-Quit changing the subject! Besides, I'm still pissed at you for your insanity," she declared as she tried to calm herself down.

The feeling of him against her… it had been arousing and that was not something she could deal with right now. She should not have been sexually attracted to Scorpius Malfoy. What frightened her was that she was incredibly tempted to take him up on his offer. It would be daring to say the least but she had to remind herself that she had standards and he was trying to distract her.

Scorpius hated that he was being reminded of that morning. It still ate away at him especially because he was finding it harder and harder to hold up the façade. All he wanted was for them to be close again. Forcing this distance between them was painful and he hated it. He fell silent at her words, unable to say anything despite wanting to apologize.

"Well?" she urged.

"Well what?"

"Tell me what is going on with the poison," she answered quietly. Scorpius rubbed his hands over his face before sighing deeply.

"The professor and I have been trying to figure out what this powder is. Apparently it's a poison as you found out just the same as I did. I know, and I'm sure you do, of what potion the professor is referring to. It's complicated and takes days to brew so now it's just a waiting game. I… I found this stuff the day you and Potter got into your fight. I wanted to tell you about it but… you had been avoiding me. Then I was starting to convince myself it was nothing. Then you were so angry and sad all the time because of your cousin and now myself. I wanted to keep my promise to you so I brought it to the professor several nights ago. I was hoping that it might be nothing so that it didn't seem like your brother was intentionally attacked. It looked like he was," he explained begrudgingly.

"But… there could have been poison on the weapon the chimera used," Rose voiced weakly but then recalled how inaccurate that would have been. The other students who were attacked would have also been showing the same symptoms. That had been discussed by the professors when she found out about Hugo. They believed he had an allergic reaction. "You don't think… this is something he's having an allergic reaction to?"

"Hell no. It's definitely a poison of some sorts," Scorpius said with a frown before sitting up. "Rose, I'm sorry."

There was a lot that he was sorry for and he wanted her to know this, but he was too much of a coward to admit it all. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and inhale her spicy scent until he was drunk off of it. Just as this thought crossed his mind, he felt her arms around him and her face buried in his neck, her hair tickling his nose.

"Thank you, Scorpius. Thank you for keeping your word and helping my brother," she whispered. Scorpius felt hot tears against his skin and knew that she was crying. Giving into his selfishness, he pulled her close and securely, gently rubbing her back. He wasn't sure that she should be thanking him. The woman had a lot on her mind already and now he just added to it. She was going to be worrying over the fact that her brother had been poisoned.

"The professor has already alerted the headmaster to our current discovery and I am sure he will inform him about the poison. As far as I know, the headmaster hasn't heard back from whoever gave him the stupid beast," Scorpius explained.

"Of course not," Rose mumbled bitterly against his skin.

This damn tournament was going to take away everyone that she cared about. Hugo was in the hospital because of a chimera that had been let loose due to the first task. Now someone was poisoning him. Lily was caught up in herself because of Alek who was a Durmstrang student also brought on by the tournament. Her and Albus were fighting because of her closeness to Scorpius that was because they had been forced together, yet again, because of the tournament.

"Come on, let's get back inside before we really do get caught," Scorpius said gently as he helped Rose to her feet. Already the woman looked to be deeply in thought and he was mentally cursing himself severely because of it.

The duo was able to make it back to their room without getting caught but they were absolutely silent. Scorpius had hoped the silence would break once they were safely out of danger of getting caught but he was wrong. Moving around as though on auto pilot, Rose started to get ready for bed for real this time. She was dressed in her long pajamas which Scorpius assumed it was because she was feeling the need to be comforted. It was killing him that he couldn't bring her that comfort as he watched her climb into her own bed. He felt hollow and with nothing else that he could do, he followed suit and climbed into his own bed. It would be several hours before sleep took mercy on him.

 **xXx**

Rose nervously sat in the Three Broomsticks as she waited for Teddy. Her hands were wrapped around a mug of butterbeer, her nails clicking against the glass anxiously. There was so much she needed to talk to him about, especially after what she had discovered the night before. Her head was buzzing with far too many thoughts and she needed someone to sort them out with. Albus was normally the one there for her to do that, but right now he was being a gigantic arse. How was she going to properly prepare and survive the task in two days?

Grinning widely, Teddy Lupin strode into the pub, brushing a bit of snow off his shoulders. The weather had been cold, as it was normal this time of the year, but it oddly had begun snowing earlier that morning. Dressed in a warm, brown leather jacket and blue denim trousers, the metamorphmagus stuck out. Not only was it his clothing, but the bright shade of turquoise his semi-long hair was sporting. The moment he saw Rose, he waved wildly.

"Heya Rosie," he greeted as she jumped to her feet and practically tackled him in a hug. He laughed gently as he squeezed her tightly, as though trying to win a contest on who could crush the other first.

"You win! You win!" Rose gasped as he released her. For having a lithe build, Teddy was deceptively strong. She supposed that was because of his parentage. In her book, that was cheating. She sat down with him as he ordered himself firewhisky. Rose arched a brow.

"Isn't it a bit early to be drinking that stuff?" she inquired to which he laughed.

"Nah, warms ya up faster than that stuff does," he explained as he indicated to her barely touched mug.

"If you say so…" she said slowly before wrinkling her nose. As soon as he was served the foul liquid, she could smell it before he drank it. It was pungent.

"Wanna try?" Teddy asked as he took a hefty gulp, exhaling deeply in great satisfaction. "You are of age."

Rose eyed the amber liquid as though it was personally offending her. She shook her head viciously, causing Teddy to chuckle deeply. He took a smaller sip this time, smiling at the warmth that flooding his system. Gently he nudged her drink towards her, indicating that she needed to drink hers as well. She complied, wiping the bit of foam from her upper lip.

"So… you've been busy huh?" Rose began, wanting to know why it had taken Teddy so long to write back to her. The young man was practically bursting with excitement, his hair changing to a scarlet color. Rose could watch him all day and never get bored.

"Incredibly but it was all worth it. Has been these last few years," he said brightly as he pulled a small box from the inside of his jacket and slid it towards her.

Curious, Rose took the box and opened it. Inside, nestled in a velvet setting, was a beautiful engagement ring. It was made of white gold and held a rather large diamond in the center, cut in a perfect circle followed by smaller diamonds that encircled it. The band held a few more diamonds but also rubies. It was incredibly expensive no doubt, but money was not a problem for her family or Teddy's godfather's.

"Teddy, this is beautiful! Are you finally going to ask Victoire?!" she asked excitedly. She knew that Lily would be ecstatic. She recalled her first year, when James discovered the two snogging, that Lily wanted them to get married so Teddy could "officially" become a part of the family. Not that he wasn't already family. Teddy and Victoire had been together since her cousin's seventh year. Calculating this, Rose was astonished to find that it had been almost eight years by now.

"Damn right I am," he said brightly as he took another drink of his whisky.

"So… why has this kept you busy?" she asked with an arched brow. This time Teddy's hair shifted into a soft, pink color that matched his cheeks. She wondered if he did it intentionally or if his hair acted like a mood ring.

"Well… because it took me years to save up the money for it and for the wedding. I have no doubt that she will say yes," he explained, sighing when he saw the confused look on Rose's face.

"Yes, I know Harry would have given me the money no problem but… I'm my own man looking to start my own life and family. It's my responsibility to provide for myself and my wife-to-be. So, for the last several years, I have been taking on odd jobs anywhere that I can until your Uncle Bill got me a job at Gringotts and that's where I've been. Bloody long and brutal hours I tell ya. Kinda awkward working with Vic's family. Already got Bill's approval. Do I get yours?"

Rose was stunned at his explanation and then his question.

"Ah.. y-yeah of course! But why… does my opinion matter?" she asked curiously. Teddy laughed heartily as his hair returned to his favorite shade of turquoise.

"Because you're the smart one and would tell me if I was doing something stupid," he replied, earning a laugh from the both of them.

"I don't think it's stupid. I think it's incredibly responsible and romantic. She's gonna be thrilled. Merlin, I'm thrilled!" she said as she got up so that she could hug him tightly. Already she felt so much better and they hadn't even reached the topic at hand. Teddy returned the embrace and she felt herself melt.

"Thanks, now, I do believe this visit is supposed to be about you," he said as he slowly released her, hearing her sigh heavily as she took her seat.

"Yeah… as I said in my letter, me and Albus are fighting and it's because of Scorpius," she said gently.

"I got that much, but you were a bit vague as to the details. Are you shagging the bloke?" he asked bluntly, watching as her face turned a lovely shade of crimson.

"N-No!"

"But you have feelings for him," he deduced, earning his answer by her embarrassed silence. "Hey, he's technically family to me. I have no qualms, but I know how the Potter boys feel. I'm guessing this fight is worse than normal."

"Yeah… he thinks that I'm going to become one of Scorpius' one night stands. He also seems to think I have changed because of him. Teddy, I don't think I have changed… Albus is the one changing. Since this year started, he's been off and at first I thought it was because he was nervous about his future but now I don't know," she replied with another sigh as she sipped more of her butterbeer.

"Well, I think you are partially correct. Albus, unlike his brother, seems to worry more about fighting against his father's legacy. James, unfortunately, seems to use it to his advantage and doesn't mind it. Al… I guess he just wants to stand out and make a name for himself. Your final year at Hogwarts is always stressful, especially trying to figure out what career you want to go into. I'm sure Al doesn't want to become an auror because of his father having been one. He's internalizing his stress and I think it's just coming out wrong. Harry told me about the fight with him and Scorpius a few weeks back," he explained as he finished off his drink.

"He wants to blame Scorpius for everything. Scorpius… he's really not that bad of a guy when you get to know him. He shows me a different side that not everyone else sees. I… despite Al being my best friend, I'm afraid to talk to him about my feelings for Scorpius because of his reactions," she explained, not wanting to go into detail as to what exactly caused the fight.

"And I'm not saying that it's right of him to do so, but I don't think Albus knows how to express himself. It's not exactly like he can talk to his father about this and James is kinda a prat when it comes to stuff like this. I'm surprised, actually, that I have not heard from him. We're rather close as you and I are. He needs time, but he also needs someone strong like you to bear with him, but I take it you haven't been feeling very strong lately, have you?" he asked gently, knowing her situation with her brother and the upcoming task.

Rose felt tears prick her eyes as she gazed down into her drink. No, she hadn't felt strong in a very long time. Most of her family members went to her when they needed strength but now she had none to give. Right now, she felt very alone and was missing her best friend and her brother terribly. Her parents were stressed out and she didn't feel right unloading on them.

"Yeah…. I have a lot on my mind. This task is… Teddy it scares the hell out of me. Scorpius is my partner and we nearly got killed the first time. Then things started to go so well, we got closer, then me and Albus started fighting because of him. Now… now Scorpius is going back to being an arse and they changed the deadline for the task. I thought we had more time but now… we only have a few days and know nothing. I can't get my mind off of my family. I'm worried about Lily because of her new boyfriend. She's acting like a normal girl who fancies a guy but she's distancing herself. Albus is being an arse. Hugo is sick and…" she couldn't even bring herself to finish her sentence. Her brother being poisoned was still too much for her. "I can't think straight." Rose held her head in her hands, lightly gripping at her hair.

Teddy's heart broke for the girl in front of her. He felt guilty for having bragged about his moment of happiness when she was suffering so badly. Reaching across the table, he took one of her hands into his and rubbed his thumb across it. Her blue eyes met his.

"It's going to be alright. It's okay to think about only yourself from time to time. Albus will come around and accept you and Scorpius. If not, I'll kick his arse for you," he offered, gaining a small smile from the girl. "As for Lily, she too will adjust and Hugo is going to get better. The best medics in the country are working on him and I know you have professors at the school working too. Just think of yourself right now, after all, you're the one who has to battle whatever it is you are battling in two days."

"And I still have no idea what that is. Scorpius is being less than helpful as usual," she grumbled unhappily.

"I have faith that you two will come through. In fact, I know you two are going to win this stupid thing," Teddy declared brightly, laughing as Rose gaped at him.

"You can't be serious. Scorpius and I are the most dysfunctional pair and we came dead last in the first task," she complained.

"Yes, but thankfully for you two, the tasks are based off of marks and not places. Just be your normal awesome self and get high marks and you two will win. Oh yeah, and stay alive," he said with a nod.

"Oh how simple," Rose mumbled as she shook her head, smiling a bit.

"So… are you two dating then?" Teddy inquired with an arched, purple brow. The sudden change in color had Rose giggling despite herself and his question.

"No… I'm not really sure what we are, but it doesn't matter. I'm sure he's betrothed anyways," she answered sadly. Teddy frowned.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, it's a pureblood thing and especially a Malfoy and Black thing. Why wouldn't he be?" she replied.

"As far as I have been told, from my grandmother, they've since done away with all of that stuff. Granted, my grandmother hasn't been a part of the Blacks in a very long time but I think the name died with Sirius unfortunately," he said gently. He had never met his distant relative but he had certainly heard stories of him. "I believe the Malfoys are different. Uncle Draco never made mention to me about a possible betrothal."

Rose wrinkled her nose, finding the idea of the refined Draco Malfoy being an uncle odd. It was also strange to believe that Scorpius and Teddy were cousins and yet so drastically different. She didn't believe there was a closeness but she couldn't imagine that Teddy would have ever found it appropriate to talk about. There was always tension surrounding the Malfoy name, especially in her family.

"Scorpius tells me that his grandfather is more in charge than his father is," she said quietly, recalling their conversation at the Yule Ball. His grandfather had practically raised him and instilled his current views and morals.

"Gah, Grandpa Lucius is a crotchety old man who is stuck in his ways. Scorpius will grow out of it," he said with a grin.

"I hope you're right," Rose conceded with a sigh.

"Oh I am sure Ron will be thrilled at the prospect of a Weasley and Malfoy getting together. Better yet, how about your Grandpa Arthur?" he teased, laughing as her cheeks darkened again.

"Quit it, Teddy! You're acting like we're gonna get married," she mumbled embarrassedly as she gazed into her nearly empty glass.

"Never know," he continued until she reached over and tried to smack him. "So violent!"

"You're asking for it," she grumbled before smiling. "Thank you for coming by, I needed this. Will you stay for the tournament?" There was hope in her eyes.

"How could I say no to those eyes? Of course I'll be here, with everyone else," he confirmed, earning a wider smile from the young girl.

"So, I'm sure it's been a while, did you want to go to the Shrieking Shack?" Rose inquired, knowing how much the place meant to him. Despite her run in with the reaper the last time she was there, she knew that she would be safe with Teddy if anything happened. Despite its dilapidated appearance, the building was something that tied Teddy to his father. The smile on his face confirmed her offer and soon they were paying the bill and heading off.

 **xXx**

More than half the school was gone and it was the perfect time for Scorpius to enact his plan. Rose was away at Hogsmeade, despite his attempts to rope her into researching for the next task. He couldn't believe that she was denying him, considering how much she had been harping on him to work on it every free moment he had. All she would say was that she was meeting someone but she refused to say who. Jealousy coursed through his veins but he knew that he had no right to say anything to her.

Attempting to push the thought of her meeting some guy at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, Scorpius made his way towards the Gryffindor common room where he knew a specific lion was sulking. Sure enough, once he stepped through the portrait hole, he saw Potter sitting in a corner, playing Wizard's chest by himself. Since the prat was on detention for the next several months, that meant no Hogsmeade nor flying. It was about time the score was settled.

"Potter," Scorpius called curtly, causing the dark haired man to whip his head up and meet his gaze. At first his eyes widened before they narrowed into a glare.

"What in the hell are you doing here, Malfoy? How did you even get in here?" he growled, annoyed at seeing the Slytherin.

"Well you see, I'm a prefect and it's rather easy to scare first years into giving me the password," he said with a smirk as he approached him.

"You're despicable," Albus grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest. He had no idea why Malfoy was in his common room bothering him, but he was sure that it was not for good reasons. Nothing with the git ever was.

"I can live with myself. You, however, are another story," he began. Albus made no attempt to stand up nor did Scorpius sit down. "Whatever this is you have with Rose, you need to fix." Albus blinked a few times to make sure he heard Malfoy correctly. He was here because of Rose?

"What does she have to do with anything? Hell, what does she even have to do with you? Don't use her name like the two of you are familiar or something. I happen to know that she hates your guts right now," Albus hissed. Scorpius did his best to not allow the Gryffindor's words to affect him, but hurt flickered in his eyes for half a second.

"And she should, but that's not the point. You're her family and her best friend. While I normally don't give two shits as to what goes on with your family, I happen to know that she can't take any more discord in her life. Especially from those she considers family. Me, she's used to me being an arsehole. That's when she goes to you, complains, then you two come up with a _brilliant_ plant to get back at me," he said, sneering at the word.

"But it's your fault –" Albus started but was immediately cut off.

"No, it's not _my_ fault. Rose lied to _you_ because of _your_ reactions. Now what does that say about you when your own best friend and family doesn't feel as though they can confide in you? Her brother is in the hospital and form what I gather, your sister is so damned obsessed with that Durmstrang idiot that she's of no use. You're all she has and you're behaving worse than me," Scorpius continued, glaring at the jerk before him.

Albus said nothing at first as he let Scorpius' words sink in. It had to be bad if the Slytherin was risking his reputation just to come find him in his own common room to speak to him. He hated how right the bastard was. Even when Malfoy was at his worst, it at least expected of him. Rose and himself were supposed be close no matter what. The fact that she felt she needed to lie to him hurt more than he wanted to admit and definitely not to the blond in front of him.

"She's supposed to be helping figure out what is happening to Hugo," he muttered pathetically, weakly attempting to defend himself. Scorpius rolled his eyes and scoffed with great annoyance.

"He's your best mate too and family. You can't keep running to Rose for everything. Even she has her limits but she's too selfless to admit when that it. Besides, when in the hell is she supposed to find the time to do that, squabble with you, look after your sister, and survive this upcoming task?" he snapped. Albus finally stood up, pointing angrily at the Slytherin.

" _You're_ the one who is supposed to be helping her!" he yelled, feeling slightly satisfied that he had a comeback. Scorpius looked at him drolly for a moment before taking a breath and speaking slowly as though Potter might comprehend his words better.

"I am aware of this. Can't help someone who is too distracted to be helped," he declared slowly. "Besides, you and I both know she's the smarter one and if you try to tell anyone I said that I'll deny it until my last breath."

"What an excuse," Albus grumbled.

"Call it what you will but I know you can't be enjoying this anymore than she is. This damn task is coming up in two days and we have nothing. You hear me? We have _nothing_. If something happens to her, this will be on your head, not mine. If she dies, the blood is on _your_ hands. She hasn't been right since the two of you fought," Scorpius said dangerously as he stepped into Potter's personal space. He would have to give the Gryffindor credit as he didn't back down.

"We're fighting because of you," Albus said after a moment, his glaring gaze never leaving Malfoy's.

"Fine. If that's what helps you sleep at night. Aside from the tasks, if I remove myself from the equation will you make things right with her?" Scorpius asked, his voice softening a bit. The idea of removing himself entirely from her life ached more than he would have liked, but he knew that Rose's family meant everything to her. His own fight with her was the start of his removal.

Albus wanted to agree immediately, loving nothing more than to never have anything to do with Malfoy again, but he knew that it was wrong. Rose would never say anything because she was so self-sacrificing. Her family came above her own happiness and until he had been selfish, she had been mostly happy. Hell, he had even seen Malfoy be kind and comforting to her when he definitely would not have been towards anyone else. Albus knew that this was all his fault and he could no longer blame Malfoy for it. He needed to be a man and take responsibility for his actions. It's what his father would have wanted out of him and despite his need to have a different legacy than his father, he still wanted to be the same kind of good man.

"I'll fix things with Rose, before the task, if you remove your arse from my common room. Your green is clashing with the red," he said with a smirk, neither agreeing nor denying Malfoy's request to be removed. The Slytherin rolled his eyes in response but his own signature smirk slid into place.

"Obviously you're an idiot when it comes to the arts. Green and red are complimentary colors and thus do not clash, you uncultured swine," he sneered before turning and taking his leave, feeling rather successful. He just hoped that Potter kept his word and fixed his relationship with Rose. The woman was going to crumble to pieces otherwise and they only had that night and the following day to prepare for the task.

Albus wasn't sure what to make of what had just happened. He couldn't believe that Malfoy had come all the way to speak to him about Rose, wanting nothing for himself. All he spoke of was making sure that his cousin was alright and would survive the task. Hell, the Slytherin even offered to remove himself all together from her life. Damn, the prat was making him look like an absolute bastard.

Sighing, he knew what he would have to do and he could only hope that Rose would forgive him. It had been killing him that the two of them were fighting and it was mostly his own fault. Hugo was in the hospital and Lily was being a ridiculous girl so he had been feeling alone himself. Rose was his best friend he couldn't believe that it took the words of his Slytherin rival to finally get through his thick skull.

 **xXx**

Rose was in a fantastic mood by the time she returned to the castle. Having spent the whole day with Teddy had been what she needed to lift her spirits. She knew that at some point she would have to face reality again but that wasn't right now. Dinner was uneventful as she sped her way through it. Lily was nowhere to be seen and she couldn't help but hear Scorpius' words ringing through her head as to what her cousin's extracurricular activities could be. Albus wasn't around either and she just assumed that was because he was avoiding her. It didn't matter, she would deal with that sadness later.

Before she knew it, she was doing her patrols which, once more, led her into the seventh floor corridors. She had ushered a few students to their common room and even sent a few to their head of house for attempting to set up a prank in the hall. Shaking her head, she nearly collided into someone as she turned the corner.

"Ah, sorry," she began until she looked up and realized that it was Albus. Immediately, she took a step back and closed herself off, preparing for his coldness.

"Nah, it's cool. My fault," he said with a small smile, attempting to dispel the tension between them. Rose's shoulders relaxed a fraction but she was extremely cautious.

"Okay… guess I'll be going then…" she said slowly before she went to move passed him.

"Rose, wait!" he called out desperately, grabbing her robes. "Didn't you get my flower?"

Rose turned to face her cousin and frowned as she tried to recall what he was talking about. It clicked a few moments later as she realized that the yellow rose in the hall _had_ been from him. She couldn't help but smile a bit at the thought. Maybe, just maybe, there was hope for reconciliation.

"Yes, I did, but how in the hell was I supposed to know that was from you?" she chastised, thankful that she was able just to talk to him without them screaming at each other.

"I dunno… psychic cousin link?" he suggested, cracking a lopsided smile at her. Rose eased up a bit more as she smiled a bit at her cousin.

"Guess it's been broken lately," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry," the duo spoke at the same time, causing each other to laugh.

"Let's not be weird anymore?" Albus offered, hoping that he didn't need to get into a long winded explanation.

"We won't be weird anymore," Rose said with a giggle, truly feeling happy. They didn't need a detailed apology to make things right. They were both wrong and they knew it. She just wanted them to be normal again.

"So… anything interesting happen on your round?" he asked conversationally as he began walking with his cousin. There was still a bit of tension but he knew that it would fade away once they became comfortable with one another again.

"Nah, busted a couple of trouble makers that's about it, you?" she inquired, gaining a shake of his head.

"So… this task. Are you ready for it?" the Gryffindor asked as he looked over at his cousin worriedly. Rose sighed heavily.

"Not even close. I keep hoping for a miracle. We made up so I guess that's a start, right?" she said with a small smile. "There's just… been so much going on and then for them to change the deadline so suddenly. It's very disorienting."

"I can imagine. Have you heard anything about Hugo?" he asked delicately. Rose swallowed hard and bit her lower lip to keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks at the thought of her brother and recent new information.

"No, the headmaster hasn't said anything and I haven't heard from mum and Dad. However… Professor Longbottom thinks that he's been poisoned," she practically whispered. Albus' eyes grew to the size of saucers.

"Poisoned?! But they ruled that out! The other students who had been attacked would have had the same reactions if that were the case!" he exclaimed loudly, forcing Rose to slap her hand over his mouth.

"Shh! Merlin you're a loud mouth. No, not poisoned from the weapon. Poisoned afterwards. Someone is targeting him," she clarified. Slowly she removed her hand when she was sure he wasn't going to continue yelling.

"But who would want to target Hugo? He's one of the quietest students in the school. He's decent at classes but definitely not vying for number one," Albus mused, walking still. "You don't think… you don't think it has to do with you, do you?" Rose's eyes widened at the thought.

"Me? Because I'm a Champion? No, you don't think that someone from the other school is trying to get to me via Hugo, do you?" she asked, fearing the thought. That would have been an absolutely terrible and dirty way to cheat at the tournament. She would gladly resign or lose if it meant the life of her family. As competitive as she was, it was not worth anyone's life.

"What else could it be? The only enemy that Hugo has is Malfoy and, as begrudgingly as it is to admit it, I don't think he would do that. It would not benefit him in the least. If it happened after my fight with him, I might consider it to be retaliation but it was not," he explained, frowning as he was forced to give Malfoy credit.

"That's awful. We can't think like that. There has to be some other explanation," she pleaded, not wanting him to continue his line of thought.

"Do you know what kind of poison it was? That might indicate the attacker," Albus asked, but sighed when Rose shook her head.

"No, Scorpius barely found enough to give to Professor Longbottom. They're trying to figure it out but Professor Brewer has to make a potion that will reveal its contents. However, that's going to take a few days," Rose complained, feeling defeated once more. Yet again, Albus' eyes grew wide.

" _Malfoy_ was the one who found it _and_ is the one helping to figure it out?" he questioned, aghast that the Slytherin could be so… kind. "I might retract my previous statement."

"Don't you dare! Scorpius did not hurt Hugo!" she growled, balling her hands into fists and ready to pummel her cousin.

"Alright, alright. Geez, protective much?" he teased, poking her cheeks when he saw them turn red. Immediately, she smacked away his hands.

"Shut up ya prat," she grumbled. The two walked in silence for a few more moments before Albus finally brought himself to speak.

"I guess… Scorpius isn't all that bad…" he said rather quietly, actually using the Slytherin's first name and without disdain. Rose stopped dead in her tracks, unsure if she had imagined his words.

"Excuse me? What have you done with Albus Potter? Are you under the Imperius Curse?" she asked frantically, unable to keep the smile from her face as she began pulling at her cousin's face as though he might be wearing a mask. It was his turn to smack her away.

"Would you cut that out," he complained as his own cheeks turned a bit pink. "He uh… came to see me while you were at Hogsmeade. Told me I needed to apologize." His voice had become quieter and his cheeks redder.

"And you listened to him?"

"Well… I was already trying. I mean, I did the whole rose thing, but… he said a few things that I will not reveal that made me get my arse into gear. We're going to leave it at that and never speak of this again," he said quickly as he began walking once more and at a much faster pace.

Rose giggled as she moved to catch up with her cousin. Her heart felt as though it might explode from shear happiness. It felt like, things were finally working out in her favor. Now if only she could heal Hugo and make it through the second task, life might feel as though it was normal again. Rose knew that, eventually, Scorpius and she would work things out and they might be less… abnormal and as far as she was concerned, Lily was alright.

 **xXx**

Once Rose finished her rounds, she found her way back to the Champion room. Her mood had continued to be great. Teddy had been the catalyst for her amazing day but she also had Scorpius to thank. It appeared that he was working behind the scenes on more than just her brother. Really, she had a lot to thank the man for but she was sure that he would deny it regardless. Shaking her head, she slid into the room and was surprised by the sight that greeted her.

Scorpius was passed out on his bed, still fully dressed. He had one hand resting on his stomach with his other arm laying above his head. She was sure that he hadn't intended on falling asleep but with as exhausted as he had been over the last week, it wasn't a surprise. A small smile on her face, Rose approached his sleeping figure and couldn't help but brush some of his platinum hair out of his face. Right now, he appeared so peaceful and that's what she wanted for him.

Leaning down, she placed a soft kiss to his forehead. What startled her was how light he was apparently sleeping despite his exhaustion because the next thing she knew she was gazing down into a pair of curious, grey eyes. He must have just fallen asleep after rounds if he was able to wake up so easily.

"Uh… hi," she said lamely, her cheeks a deep pink color.

"Hello," he replied tiredly but his gaze never left hers.

The two stared at one another for a good moment, remaining silent before Rose broke the trance and pulled back. Instead of leaving entirely, she sat down on the edge of his bed, lightly playing with the edges of his blanket. It felt nice to be close to him again without them bickering. She had her suspicions that his recent insanity was due to her discord with her family. He probably thought that if she hated him and wanted nothing more to do with him, then she and Albus would fix their relationship. It was amazing the amount of clarity she felt now that she was not being weighed down by her crushing depression.

Scorpius had been surprised to find Rose hovering over his bed. Not that he wasn't grateful or anything but he figured that she would still want to avoid him. The noticeable change in her behavior, however, indicated to him that Potter had finally stopped being an arse long enough to fix things with his cousin. Thank Salazar too, because he was certain the two of them were going to die on Monday. At least Rose would have a good relationship with her family before then.

"Thank you," Rose said softly after another long moment of silence passed. There was no need to explain what she was thanking him for and he knew it. Scorpius simply nodded before yawning deeply.

"Yeah. Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna go to sleep. Have to pick between planning for the task or my funeral tomorrow," he mumbled half-jokingly. He groaned as he felt Rose smack his shoulder.

"That is not funny. We are going to figure this out and we are going to survive, whether you like it or not," she declared before she settled down next to him. This caused Scorpius to look over his shoulder in great surprise.

"What are you doing?" he inquired, arching a fine brow.

"Getting ready for bed, isn't that what you're doing?" she replied with a smirk, causing the Slytherin to be rendered speechless for a moment.

"We hate each other remember?" Scorpius reminded her, hating that he was doing that. Why would he do that?

"No we don't," she declared simply as she snuggled further into his back.

"Did I imagine you punching me in the nose? If so, I have quite the vivid imagination and it's rather painful. There are much more pleasant feeling things I could be thinking about. Like shagging, that would feel incredible," he teased, howling in laughter when he felt her punch his back. Despite it hurting, he liked that she was feeling better.

"You are such a prat," she grumbled but made no efforts to move.

"But would you really love me any other way?"

"No," she admitted. The two fell into silence for another moment.

"Please don't tell me that you're such a prude that we are both going to sleep _fully_ clothed," Scorpius said amidst a yawn. Rose rolled her eyes at his constant commentary on her bedroom attire.

"Don't you ever think about anything aside from scantily clad women and shagging?" Rose protested as she moved away from him so that she could dress down from bed.

"I am a healthy, sexually active, seventeen year old male. No, I don't think about anything else," he responded as though it was the most obvious answer in existence.

"Oh and I am sure that all those women appreciate those grand thoughts," Rose growled through clenched teeth. Jealousy coursed through her at the idea of who Scorpius thought about and shagged.

Scorpius could practically see the jealously falling off of her in waves and it thrilled him to the core of his being. He used to shag various women and some of them were even the object of his thoughts, but not recently. The last time he was sexually with another woman was the night Rose caught him in the room they were currently sharing. His thoughts were only of her and it was maddening.

"Jealous are we?" he asked with a smirk as he rolled over onto his back, both of his hands behind his head now.

"Yes!" she hissed as she placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "And you know it!"

Scorpius was caught off guard by her sudden admittance. That was the last thing he would have expected to come from her. Slowly, he sat up, his eyes never leaving hers. He slid off of the bed and approached her, much like a predator towards his prey. Her demeanor did not change even as he stood before her, gazing down into her light eyes.

"And why would you be jealous?" he asked quietly, his gaze falling to her lips that he so desperately wanted to take possession of.

"Because… Because, I only want you to think of me," she whispered, her cheeks finally turning a deep red as she could no longer hold up her façade. Her heart was pounding against her chest and she was embarrassed.  
"C-Come on, we need to get to sleep. We are getting up early tomorrow." With that, Rose moved as far away as possible so that she could get dressed.

Scorpius felt her absence like cold water over his body and yet he still burned for her. His mind and his heart were at war with each other and he knew that soon he would have to make a decision. He had already proven that he couldn't just have a little bit of her. Rose Weasley either needed to be entirely in his life or absolutely removed from it. There was no in between for him.

 **xXx**

Scorpius was awoken to the sweet smell of bacon and fresh baked pastries. It was rather confusing because the only time he woke up to such greatness was when he was back home and breakfast was made for him. As he came to, he recalled that he was still at Hogwarts and things like that did not simply just happen. Groaning, he rubbed his face as he tried to discern what was happening.

It was early, that much he could tell, but the room was still dark. Looking across the way, he saw that Rose's bed was empty and neatly made. A light shone in the sitting room, filtering into their open bedroom and he knew where she was currently located. Sitting up, he stretched a bit before stumbling out of bed. He was wearing nothing but boxers as he made his way into the sitting room.

To his surprise, spread across the low table was an assortment of breakfast foods along with pumpkin juice. This was the next best thing to breakfast in bed and he wondered if Rose was going to wake him up for this or if he just got lucky. Sliding his hand through his hair, he attempted to smooth it as he leaned in the doorway.

"What's all this about?" he asked after he yawned a bit.

Rose looked up, having not expected Scorpius to wake up on his own. Once she was finished setting up breakfast, she was going to get him up herself. At the sound of his voice, she turned her attention to him but found herself instantly distracted by his near nakedness. Merlin, he was his fantastically built. This was not the first time she had seen him practically naked but it never ceased to amaze and, well, arouse her. Her eyes scanned his body unabashedly before she realized that he had asked her a question. Heat siphoning to her cheeks, she smiled a bit.

"We're not leaving this room for anything so I figured that I would bring breakfast to us. I have my ways but I will not reveal them. We are going to research all day today and I will bring lunch to us as well. If we are going to have any chance at surviving tomorrow, this is necessary," she explained as she indicated for him to sit down, not caring that she was fully dressed while he was not.

Scorpius would have to say that he was rather impressed with her dedication and mood change. A warmth settled heavy in the center of his chest as he realized that he helped her feel the way that she did. He had tried his damned hardest to get her and Potter talking again and he was working on trying to find a cure for her brother. She obviously didn't want to fight with him anymore and that seemed to make her happy too. Her smile was infectious as he sat down near her, piling food onto his plate.

"Thanks… I'll try to be good and helpful today," he said with a smirk. "But I make no promises." Rose laughed gently and lightly shoved at his shoulder.

"If we can at least figure out what that rune means, I know that the rest will fall into place," she said determinedly as she began setting food on her own plate.

The two ate in comfortable silence and once breakfast was finished, Rose cleaned up while Scorpius dressed for the day. As promised, the two buried themselves in several books and conducted their research, never leaving the room and only taking breaks to visit the loo or converse on possibilities of the task. It was exhausting and at one point, several hours later, when she was unable to look at any more info, Rose tipped over and laid her head in Scorpius' lap. Without looking up from his book, he gently stroked her hair.

"This is impossible," she groaned, acting more like Scorpius than he was.

"We can do this," he assured her as he flipped the page. This was the most comfortable the two of them had ever been around each other ever. Scorpius was surprised to find how happy he was, despite the horrible task at hand. Merlin how he missed her.

"Do you realize how many runes there are? We lost so much time…" she complained before burying her face in his stomach and wrapping her arms around him. This succeeding in giving the Slytherin pause as he looked down at his disgruntled Ravenclaw. For once, his mind didn't go to the gutter. Instead, he was warmed by the simple gesture of having her in his lap and snuggling against him.

"A gazillion but who's counting?" he said with a small laugh as he continued to pet her hair. "Want a break?" He heard her mumble against him but he couldn't make out what she said. After poking her side a bit, making her squeak in response, she sat back up.

"No, we need to keep going," she said with a sigh as she brushed back some of her hair with her hands. Scorpius reached out and brushed a stray strand behind her ear, enjoying the way she smiled subtly at his gesture.

"You are determined," he said softly before looking at the coin that sat in the middle of their table.

He removed it to flip it over a few times in his hand, running his fingers over the markings in hopes that maybe something would come to him. The coin was extremely unassuming and he would have thought it completely worthless in terms of value. It looked ancient so they were on the right path by looking into runes. Just how ancient, however, he was not sure. Frowning, he turned another page in his book before gasping.

"I found it!" he exclaimed, dropping the coin in his excitement. Rose practically clamored into his lap to grab the book he was looking at.

"Thank Merlin! Scorpius, you're wonderful!" she cried as she made herself comfortable in his lap and began looking through the book. Beneath the symbol, which was exactly like that on the coin, was a description of the rune and who it belonged to. 

_Pluto (Roman) / Hades (Greek)_

Scorpius was sure that Rose was saying something in her happiness but he was once again distracted by her. This time, his mind failed him completely and went head first into the gutter. She felt incredibly perfect, nestled between his legs as her arse pressed firmly against him. It took every ounce of will power he possessed not to allow fantasies to assail him and for his body to harden against hers. While it was damn near impossible, he somehow managed to succeed but still felt uncomfortable. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back flush against his chest and rest his chin on her shoulder, looking at the book.

"Go on, I like to hear about my greatness," he teased, refusing to move. He felt Rose relax in his arms and he could have shouted in victory. She had accepted his affections, at least that's what he was telling himself. In actuality, she was probably too distracted and relieved to have found something that she wasn't really paying attention. That idea stung so he decided to ignore it.

"It says here, that this is the rune for Hades. That's the god of underworld," she began as she skimmed the page.

"Hades controls the underworld. Wasn't there a ferryman of sorts that would lead souls across some river that led into the underworld?" Scorpius mused, not even paying attention to the book anymore. He was distracted by the softness of her skin that he found himself pressing his cheek against. Her pulse beat against his flesh and her scent washed over him, intoxicating him.

"Yeah… the ferryman's name was Charon… and he took on many forms," she said before reaching for another book that was on the table, retaining her spot in Scorpius' lap.

Flipping through, she opened a page that demonstrated an illustration of a reaper holding an oar and a lantern was perched on the arch of the boat it was standing in. One of its boney hands was outstretched towards a soul, as though asking for payment. The soul was reaching up, presenting a coin that looked rather similar to the one that was in Rose and Scorpius' possession.

"Is it just me, or does this Charon guy look a hell of a lot like that damn reaper we ran into?" Scorpius pointed out with a frown. "Does no one keep a reign on any of the beasts for this forsaken tournament?"

Rose bit her lower lip as she realized that Scorpius was right. The reaper she had heard on her first night back and the very same creature they ran into at the Shrieking Shack looked a lot like the illustration. Seeing the coin being presented also further cemented her hypothesis that the reaper was a representation of the ferryman. It also gave her a pretty good idea of the next task.

"Charon is supposed to lead souls across the river Acheron. This river was also known as the 'River of Woe'. The coin said, 'the soul's journey begins with woe'. I think we are going to have to cross some sort of body of water and use this coin as payment," Rose explained as she leaned her head against Scorpius. Her heart was racing wildly though she was not sure if it was due to his closeness or finally having answers to the task.

"That seems rather… basic, doesn't it? Just simply pay the reaper to take us across some water? I'll bet it's the Great Lake. We know the Giant Squid lives there but what else is there really?" Scorpius inquired. This seemed far too easy, which meant that something dangerous was going to happen.

"Maybe it's something at the other side of the lake that we are going to have to endure," she speculated as she began flipping through some more pages. Scorpius stilled her hand as a page caught his attention.

With a murderous glare, was the detailed drawing of Cerberus, the three headed guardian dog of the underworld. It bore red glowing eyes and viciously sharp fangs that were dripping with both saliva and blood. The beast was pure animalistic muscle and sinew. There was a very good reason why it was considered the guardian of the underworld. A god such as Hades would use nothing less.

"Rose… you don't think they would really make us fight something so dangerous?" he asked quietly.

"I… I wouldn't put it passed them. My parents and uncle came across a creature such as this during their first year at Hogwarts," she explained before lighting up excitedly. "Hagrid would know! They had said it was Hagrid's pet and it was something simple that defeated the beast. We have to talk to him!"

"You've got to be kidding me…" Scorpius breathed as he leaned back on his hands, allowing Rose to remain where she was. "No wonder your family is mental."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" she asked with a frown as she turned around in his lap to face him. Now she was straddling him. For a brief moment Scorpius couldn't breathe.

"I just mean… your parents faced something horrific like that when they were eleven and I know of everything else your families have dealt with. It's a wonder any of you are sane," he explained sympathetically.

"Well… my family is fine and, I'm definitely okay, much better now that's for sure," she said honestly, a smile on her face. "We're gonna get through this task and we are going to live. Now that was have an idea, we need to look more into what lurks in the lake. I know for a fact there are mermaids because my uncle faced them when he participated in the tournament last time."

"Can we just… take a break," Scorpius asked as he pulled Rose down so that she was lying flat against his chest, her breasts pressing against him. She was so soft and supple. All he wanted to do was get lost in her.

Rose felt her cheeks heat up at the new position she found herself in. Once more, she had no idea what her and Scorpius were and she hadn't forgiven him for the awful things he said. She laid her head comfortably against him and listened to the soft, rhythmic beating of his heart. It was soothing and if she wasn't careful she knew that she could fall asleep right where she was, despite it nearly being lunch time.

"Why did you say those terrible things to me?" she whispered, unable to drive her thoughts away. Scorpius stiffened beneath her and for a moment, Rose didn't think he was going to answer her.

"I… wanted you to hate me," he responded after a good while, speaking very softly and looking straight up at the ceiling. It was impossible for him to meet her gaze.

"Why do you want me to hate you?" she pressed, wondering why he would actively want such a thing. Especially when they had grown so close.

"Because… you were right. I bring you nothing but misery and I am destroying you and your family," he answered barely above a whisper. Rose was sure that she had to be seeing things but it looked like there were tears in his eyes.

"Scorpius…. You don't… this wasn't your fault. Albus was being an arse… why do you care—"

"Because I care about you! You mean… you mean a lot to me," he stated loudly before sitting up quickly and practically crushing her against his body as he held her. "And… because of this… I wanted you to be happy and you always seem to be happier without me in your life. For years all I did was make you miserable. I don't want to do that anymore."

Rose felt her heart break at his response at the same time it fluttered in joy. While she knew that he cared, it was nice to finally hear it from him. His response was genuine, there was no doubt, but it hurt that he felt it necessary to remove himself. What he had said to her that day, she knew wasn't true and probably hurt him as much as it hurt her. In the end, it was all for her sake even if it was idiotic.

"Scorpius… I want you in my life. Albus is coming around and you helped with that. I want everyone and everyone is going to make nice with each other or I'm just going to start throwing hexes," she said with a smirk, earning a bit of a laugh from him. He buried his face in her neck to hide his tears.

Neither one of them said anything but nothing needed to be said. Rose sat comfortably in his lap once more as she held him against her body, lightly stroking his hair. The Slytherin relaxed against her frame and she knew that a weight had been lifted from him, almost physically. For the last few weeks, everyone had suffered and she wouldn't allow it any longer. She felt more like herself than she had in a long while and she was going to make sure that everyone who was important to her was taken care of, just like she always did.

Desperately, she wanted to ask him if he was betrothed. If his family still believed in the old ways, then it wouldn't matter what she said or did. When they graduated, it would all be over. She didn't want to invest any more of herself into him when she knew that it was all going to be for naught. Even as she had this thought, however, she knew that her heart would not listen to her regardless. Betrothed or not, she would still love him as she did even if it brought her nothing but unhappiness in the end. Right now, all that mattered was the present and she was going to hold onto that.

 **xXx**

Scorpius and Rose spent the remainder of time until dinner researching the different creatures that lived in the lake and how to combat them. They had also paid Hagrid a brief visit who had reminisced fondly over his lost pet Fluffy. Knowing that music, as strange as it was, would calm the beast, the duo felt much better about the task before them.

While the second task appeared simple, Rose recalled her uncle's second task. Once he actually took the time to solve the riddle, it was rather simple. What was difficult, was that he was far too young and inexperienced. It had been trying to discover a spell that would allow him to breath under water for an hour that had proved the most difficult. If it had not been for the help of her parents and a particular house elf, she was sure her uncle would have never made it. Granted, the entire tournament had been orchestrated but that was beside the point. Rose still found her uncle to be incredibly brilliant.

Rose was happy that dinner went well. It felt like old times as she sat with Lily and Albus. All that was missing was her brother but she had to hold onto faith in both Scorpius and Professor Longbottom that the mystery would be solved. She planned on offering her help to Professor Brewer once the second task was over. One way or another, she was going to save her brother.

The only thing different about dinner was that Alek actually sat with his Durmstrang schoolmates over at the Slytherin table instead of sitting with Lily. She was incredibly put out by this, but Rose and Albus did well in distracting her. Despite her boyfriend being an opposing champion, she was still rooting for her cousin. The Beauxbatons girls, thankfully, made no attempts to bother them, despite sitting at the Ravenclaw table.

By the time Rose was headed back to the Champion room with Scorpius, having been given the night off from patrols in preparation of the following day, she was feeling more like herself if not better. There was a confidence that filled her that had been absent for far too long. Never again did she want to feel as she had been for the last several weeks. Teddy had helped a tremendous amount as well as Scorpius playing his part and Albus finally deciding that it was time to stop being a prat.

Rose had wanted to tell Albus about Teddy's planned proposal, but the metamorphmagus had sworn her to secrecy. He planned on asking Victoire during the Easter holiday so that the family would be present and he could make a grand show of it all. Honestly, she was sure that Victoire was going to beat him to a pulp for embarrassing her but Rose was glad that she would be able to witness it.

The moment the door shut behind Rose and Scorpius, she exhaled deeply, finally feeling her nerves take over. She was incredibly jittery and anxious. The night before the first task, their parents had come to see them. This time, it looked like they would be preparing alone. She missed her mother and father dearly, having not seen them since she discovered that Hugo was going to be taken to St. Mungo's. While she still wrote to them often, she tried to keep the conversation light and school based. She could only imagine the stress her parents were experiencing with one child in the hospital in critical condition and the other risking her life in a death tournament.

Scorpius, having noticed that Rose was nervous, took her into his arms and held her there tightly. Despite her pent up energy, the woman had taken to standing in the middle of the room and simply wringing her hands together. There was no doubt as to what she was nervous about and he would be lying if he said he didn't feel the same. They felt more prepared now than they had before but a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach told him that there was much more to this task than what they discovered.

The opposing Champions, he was sure, had figured the task out immediately and had been spending this entire time relaxing and steadily preparing. Rose and himself didn't seem to have that luxury as one terrible event after another continued to assail them. Mix that with stupid fights and they were the perfect recipe for disaster. If they managed to come out of the second task alive and mostly unscathed, he was going to make sure some serious changes were made. After all that had endured, he was going to make sure that they come out on top.

"We're going to be alright tomorrow. Remember, I'm the smarter of the two us," Scorpius teased, trying to ease the tension that was quickly filling the room. Rose couldn't help but laugh a bit as she looked up at him. Being in his arms was so comforting and for just a few moments she could allow her nervousness to dissipate.

"If that's the case, then we're in more trouble than I thought," she shot back, her lips upturned in a playful smile. Before he could stop himself, Scorpius leaned down to capture those perfect lips.

Rose moaned against the sensation of his kiss. Whatever they were, she didn't care at this point. All she wanted was him and to be the only thing on his mind. For just right now, she didn't want to think about the task and their possible impending doom. Sliding her arms up, she wrapped them around his neck as she felt his hands snake down to her hips, pulling her closer. Scorpius' refined, woody scent permeated her senses as she just indulged in his kiss and the feel of his body against hers. If his intention had been to distract her, he was doing a damned good job.

Sighing contently, she slowly broke away from the kiss, smiling softly. Scorpius gazed down at her through hooded eyes before leaning forwards to place a few delicate kisses along the side of her neck, smirking a bit as he felt goosebumps erupt along her skin. It thrilled him to know that he affected her the way that he did. While he was used to women going weak at the knees over him and everything he did, Rose was special and he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Will you join me in bed tonight?" he asked quietly, laughing a bit at the incredulous look that Rose gave him. "To sleep, I promise. I… I miss you being there." There was a slight tinge of pink that dusted his cheeks at his admittance. Immediately, Rose felt a warmth begin in the center of her chest and spread out to her fingertips. He was perfect but she was sure he was already more than aware of this.

"Yeah, okay. I missed you too," she admitted, earning a rather bright and happy smile from Scorpius. He was so dazzling that she found herself momentarily stunned even as he pulled away to get ready for bed. The Slytherin seemed a bit over eager and it caused her to laugh before she followed suit.

Moments later, Rose was wrapped up in Scorpius' arms, her back to his chest as they settled in his bed for the night. She hadn't even realized how much she had missed him either until now. For the last several weeks she had been in such a daze she didn't really care much about anything. Her state of being was always either sadness or anger and she had avoided Scorpius for a little while as well. Exhaling deeply, her body relaxed against his as she felt her worries melt away.

Despite whatever obstacles they faced the next day, she knew that as long as they had each other, they were going to be alright.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **A/N: Whew! Thank you so much for all of my faithful readers who have held on. I am SO sorry it has taken me so long to update. I can't even begin to describe the craziness of my life. I didn't mean to let two months (almost three) go by before this update. I promise I'm trying to reduce that amount of time. Unfortunately between work and being a mom, it's difficult. Though I really am trying to stay away from going longer than a month and maybe I can even work it back down to a week or two. My chapters are also almost three times as long as when I had first started this fic however. I especially apologize for any grammatical mistakes. This chapter was written on my tablet/keyboard combo so it likes to autocorrect but I did my best in catching them. I hope that this chapter was worth the wait. As always, please read and review. Enjoy!**

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 22*~**

"I can't do this," Rose whispered fearfully as she began dressing for the second task. It was much earlier than the first as the sun had just barely come up over the horizon. She wasn't even sure if she had slept at all despite being comfortable in Scorpius' arms.

"Yes, you can because we are going to do this together," Scorpius assured as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle. They were both dressed in the same tight attire as they had been in for the first task. Her curves had never felt better. Well, he was sure if she was naked against him she would feel absolutely incredible but that was a thought for another time.

"But… I still feel like we are completely unprepared. What if we fail?" she asked, feeling sick to her stomach as she leaned back into his embrace. Scorpius tightened his arms around her as he felt her suddenly quiver against him. He wasn't sure if he had ever seen Rose truly this terrified.

"We won't fail. You're absolutely brilliant," he said as he turned her around so that he could cup her cheeks in his hands. Her vulnerability threw him off guard as he was so used to seeing her fire and determination. He wasn't sure why this task had her this scared. They had fought a chimera twice and survived. "I'll protect you even if we end up fighting that three headed dog."

Despite his efforts to encourage and cheer her up, he seemed to be failing. At the mention of the three headed beast, he watched as Rose's complexion paled several shades. Silently, he cursed himself and Potter for having made her so miserable for the last several weeks. If they hadn't been arses, Rose would have had more time to feel better prepared. While he knew that her fighting with Potter and himself had been a problem, he didn't think that he would have to battle Rose herself. She was becoming her own worst enemy.

"You must be desperate if you're complimenting me," Rose declared with a half-smile, trying to shake off the fear that would not leave her.

"No, I mean it. You are brilliant and we will succeed. You're also sexy as hell and shag worthy in that outfit," he said with a smirk, loving that color returned to her cheeks and stayed there.

Yes, that was the Rose that he was looking for. His smirk still in place, he leaned down to capture her tempting lips, groaning when he heard her moan in response. If he could distract her and imbue her with anything other than fear and anxiety, then he was doing his job right. However, if he also gained joy from the experience, that was just a bonus. He felt her lean into him, her lips moving deliciously against his as she took from him whatever she needed.

Rose's mind immediately became muddled when she felt Scorpius' kiss. He was obviously trying to distract her but she was thankful for it. Her arms moved so that they were wrapped around his neck, pulling his body flush against her own. In this moment, she didn't give a damn about what they were classified as. She loved him and knew that he at least cared deeply for her. They might not have been a couple in the public eye, but they were definitely something behind closed doors that didn't involve sex. Right now, she was indulging in him, allowing herself to forget about the dangers they were about to face.

Nibbling on her lower lip teasingly, Scorpius heard her gasp as his hands rested on her hips. Regardless of the fact that he was trying to distract her, his body was on fire and wanting her desperately. There was no hiding what she was doing to him with their tightly dressed bodies pressed together. He expected her to pull away in repulsion, knowing that she felt uneasy about the prospect of anything sexual. What he had not expected, was her fiery trail of kisses down his neck as her hands hesitantly slid downwards. Salazar how he wanted her to continue, but he knew that it wouldn't be right. His hand landed over hers gently and stayed her.

"Hey now, careful love. Don't start something you can't finish," he teased, hoping to deter her. Instead, he was met with her passion filled gaze as she bit her lower lip temptingly.

"Who says I won't finish?" she whispered huskily, briefly wondering what had happened to her all of a sudden? One moment she was scared out of her mind and the next she was more aroused than she had ever been in her entire life. Maybe her adrenaline was becoming misdirected. Scorpius' eyes widened briefly, wanting desperately for her to follow through, before he laughed gently.

"Pretty sure we don't have the time," he said lightly. Rose looked as though she wanted to say something more but was interrupted by a voice piercing the air as though it was coming from an intercom.

"Champions! Please head to the Great Lake in preparation for the second task of the Triwizard Tournament!"

Rose recognized the voice to be the tournament representative. She swallowed hard as she looked at Scorpius, almost as though she had been broken out of a daze. Just what was she about to do? She had promised herself adamantly that she would not shag him without some sort of commitment. A commitment he was afraid or incapable of giving.

The man had one hell of an effect on her but she couldn't say that she was truly disappointed. She loved him and there was no doubt about that. It was his feelings that were confusing but, unfortunately, that was something she was going to have to consider at another time when their lives weren't about to be threatened.

"Here we go," she said quietly as she looked to her partner. Scorpius reached out and squeezed her hand before releasing it and leading her out the door.

"We're going to be fine, I promise," he assured her once more, trying to convince her as well as himself. He held his own fears and anxieties, but with Rose at his side, he knew that he would overcome them.

Once Rose had an idea of what she was dealing with, he knew that the red head would feel more confident. It was her lack of knowledge that was her weakness. In the short time that he had come to know her more intimately, he realized that the woman relied heavily on being able to control her environments and situations. They had just discovered what the task potentially was just the day before. Once it was confirmed what they were dealing with, he knew that Rose would have the answers. Until then, they were working off of faith that they had discovered and prepared for the right event.

The halls of the castle were as silent as the grave as the two Champions made their way out to the Great Lake. Despite it being early, it appeared that the school had already evacuated to witness the spectacle of the second task. Rose heard nothing more then the heavy beating of her heart pulsating in her ears as they walked. She felt so ill prepared and having only recently fixed most of the drama in her life, this was the last thing she felt like doing. As confident as Scorpius appeared, she knew that he had to be feeling what she was to some extent.

Crossing the grounds, Rose found it disheartening that the weather was so pleasant when they were walking towards their doom. The ground was lightly dusted in frost from the morning dew and winter air which also reflected the rising sun. Above them were pale grey clouds smudged against a pale pink and purple sky with a fiery orange sun rising above the trees of the Forbidden Forest. The golden light filtered through the forest and illuminated part of their path. It was heavenly and Rose supposed that if she were to die, she would prefer that it was not a dismal environment.

No sooner were they indulging in the beautiful morning, they were suddenly engulfed in a heavy fog and severe chill. Rose shivered as they made their way to the dock that had been set up at the Great Lake for the task. She could barely make out the figures of the headmasters, the representative, and the opposing Champions. Stands had been set up around the edge of the lake and rose high above, but not quite as tall as the Quidditch ones. Though, she found them to be pointless because she couldn't even see out into the lake and she doubted that the audience would be able to see more than she would.

Even though she couldn't spot them, she knew that her family was watching and amongst the crowd. It was incredibly disorienting that she couldn't see what they were going to be facing and it only increased her anxiety. She felt Scorpius subtly squeeze her hand comfortingly once more but only briefly. Taking a deep breath, Rose exhaled slowly as she moved to stand by the other Champions.

"Ah, there you two are. Ready for the next task?" the representative asked cheerily as though he was not asking them to risk their lives.

"We're here aren't we?" Scorpius grumbled, wishing to get the task over with as soon as possible. Despite his eagerness, he was not stupid. He would not behave rashly and potentially risk, not only his life, but most importantly, Rose's.

"Mr. Malfoy, as chipper as always," the Hogwarts headmaster said with a knowing smirk, causing Scorpius to frown. Looking at the man, he felt like he was forgetting something incredibly important.

Rose couldn't turn her gaze away from their headmaster. She knew that Scorpius couldn't remember, but his surname was Pendragon. After the task, she was going to confront him about the fact that no one could recall his name. The headmaster's gaze met her own and held it for a moment. She thought she saw a flicker of realization in his eyes but it vanished as soon as it appeared before he broke their visual contact and turned his attention to the representative.

Looking around, Scorpius couldn't help but notice that each of the champions looked incredibly confident. He figured, for sure, that the Beauxbatons women would be nervous, as they seemed far too "delicate" but they appeared almost smug. As stoic as the Durmstrang men constantly portrayed themselves to be, he thought he saw a hint of a smirk on Dragoni's face. Anxiety settled deep in the Slytherin's stomach as he felt as though they were missing something incredibly important.

"Rose, do you have the coin?" he whispered to the red-head as the headmasters spoke amongst themselves.

"Of course, why?" she asked as she withdrew the piece of metal from her pocket subtly so that he could see for himself.

"Something doesn't feel right, as though we are forgetting something," he responded, his eyes darting from champion to champion before returning to Rose. She followed his motions before frowning.

"I don't understand…"

"Neither do I. Perhaps it's just nerves," he mumbled, trying to shake the feeling.

Rose exhaled deeply as she squinted towards the stands, hoping that she could possibly see someone from her family. She wondered, for a moment, who Lily would be cheering for. Honestly, she wouldn't blame her for supporting her boyfriend, but Rose hoped that she would be cheering for herself. Teddy would be in the stands and that instantly cheered her up. She wasn't sure if James had been able to steal away from Romania again but she knew that minimally, she would have her parents and Albus. Her heart warmed as she thought of her family and she calmed a fraction. Looking to Scorpius, she hoped that he felt better knowing that his family was watching as well.

"Alright Champions, move closer please if you will and I will explain what you will be doing for this task," the representative called out, drawing the small group closer together. "There are three portions to this task. The first portion will be for you to cross this lake to a small island in the center. For the second portion you will have to cross from the island to the other side of the lake. The third portion lies on the other side of the lake. Once you have completed all of these tasks, there will be a portkey that you will grab that will instantly transport you back here where you have started. This is a race and you will be judged not only on what place you return but also your techniques."

Immediately, the Champions began whispering amongst themselves. Rose felt her mouth hang open just a bit as the man finished his explanation. He made it sound as though it was something so incredibly simple but this was the Triwizard Tournament. She was not foolish enough to believe that it would be so easy to complete. The knot in her stomach twisted viciously as she took a slow, deep breath. Her eyes went to Scorpius but his expression was that of a frown and nothing more. She couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling.

Before she could react any further, the representative waved his wand and cleared away some of the fog so that the spectators were revealed as well as the area surrounding the Champions. Cheering erupted, piercing the silence that had been caused by the blindness of the fog. Rose was able to spot her family immediately because of Teddy's turquoise hair that was practically begging for attention. She was happy to see that James had been able to get away once more but currently looked as though he was antagonizing his brother. However, what was most surprising, was the fact that Scorpius' family sat near her own.

Albus wasn't sure what Teddy was up to, but he was definitely making things awkward. Teddy sat next to Scorpius' father and mother and, because he missed him, James was sitting next to Teddy. This put Albus in the row in front of James, as his brother wouldn't stop antagonizing him, and he too missed Teddy. His uncle Ron sat, almost protectively, in the row behind Teddy which put him near Scorpius' family. Aunt Hermione sat next to his uncle, which placed her directly behind Scorpius' father. Albus had a feeling she did this intentionally in case her husband got out of hand. His own parents sat beside him which placed them in front of Scorpius' family. The Malfoys were essentially surrounded by the Potter/Weasley clan.

Lily sat on Albus' other side which kept her the furthest away from everyone which he was sure it was because she wanted to be able to cheer on Alek without being labeled a traitor. As much as he wanted to chastise her on her choice of a significant other, he refrained seeing as how he nearly destroyed his relationship with Rose over something similar.

Teddy looked blissfully unaware of what he was doing, but the mischievous glint in his eyes had Albus doubting his obliviousness. Frowning slightly, he had a feeling Teddy was doing this on purpose in hopes of creating civility and unity amongst the families seeing as how Rose and Scorpius was partnered. It wasn't a bad idea, he supposed, but he knew that Uncle Ron wasn't as likely to let go of the feud. It wasn't like Albus felt any better than his uncle did. Having nearly killed Scorpius, he was sure that Scorpius' family wasn't overly thrilled at being seated near himself and his parents. On the whole, everyone was awkward but their attention was drawn away when the fog cleared and they were able to see Rose and Scorpius mingled with the rest of the Champions.

"So, care to wager who is going to start the fight first?" Scorpius asked with a smirk as he followed Rose's gaze and saw that their families were sitting next to each other. He easily recognized his cousin, Teddy, but the two of them were not overly close. There was a family gathering or two where he had seen him but that was about it. Scorpius' father was rather estranged from the rest of his bloodline, not that there were many left.

"Scorpius! They _will_ behave!" she hissed as though he had any control over the situation. Lightly she shoved his shoulder before shaking her head disdainfully. Their families fighting was the last thing either one of them needed. The task was stressful enough without worrying about someone in their family killing one another.

"I'm just kidding… sorta," he said with a snort before laughing deeply as Rose slugged his shoulder. Despite rubbing the aching spot, he grinned. "Don't injure your lifeline." This earned him an eye roll from the Ravenclaw.

Despite her best efforts not to, a smile tugged at the corners of her lips at his antics. Yet again, he seemed to be doing his best at distracting her and relieving the stress. What she found to be surprising, however, was that he was behaving so playfully in front of the watchful eye of his father. She was thankful that it was only his father and not his grandfather. If that man were present, she was sure Scorpius would not have been nearly as pleasant.

Turning her attention back to the lake, Rose was pleased to find that the clearing of the fog had left her with a bit more visibility. Off in the distance was the island they were going to have to reach. Other than that, she could see little else as more fog blurred the surroundings. There was no doubt that the lake was going to be frigid and she could feel Scorpius tensing up beside her. His last run in with the lake had been less than ideal but she was forever grateful that he had saved Albus' life. Realization flickered across her face as she recalled that the island that Scorpius had been pulled onto by Alek was the same one they would need to arrive at to finish the first part of the task.

"We are not swimming," Scorpius grumbled unhappily as he shuddered. Just recalling the pain from the cold was enough to have his lungs aching.

"We won't. I have an idea for a way across," she whispered.

Each of the champions were led to a separate dock that extended out from the one they were currently standing on. They were a good distance away from one another but the same equal distance away from the island. The representative looked beside himself with happiness as he looked back and forth between the Champions and the crowd as though he were contemplating a way to get the crowd pumped for the task. Each set of Champions was also accompanied by their headmaster.

Rose looked to their headmaster as she could no longer hear any of the other Champions. She wondered if the man would offer any words of wisdom that they could readily understand. The man was known for being incredibly cryptic and with what she just discovered about his name, it was no wonder. Just what was the man hiding that caused him to have everyone instantly forget his name? Did he really have ties to King Arthur and Merlin? Before she could ponder on the subject any longer, he began speaking.

"I hope that you two were able to discover the secret in making a companionship work," he said gently as he gazed at the couple briefly before looking to the lake. Rose had a feeling that he wasn't just referring to their partnership for the task.

"We won't fail this time," Scorpius declared sternly with a scowl. It felt like the headmaster was silently judging him and he wasn't fond of the feeling. While it was mostly his fault they had done so poorly during the first task, he wasn't the only one to blame.

"No, I know you two won't. Something has changed," he said simply, leaving Rose and Scorpius to give each other curious looks.

"Any advice, Headmaster?" Rose asked quietly, hoping that he might impart valuable information with them. A lofty smile graced his features.

"Avoid the water," he said simply before drifting away to regroup with the other headmasters.

"I'm telling you, Rose, that man is mental," Scorpius grumbled as he watched the man leave.

One moment the headmaster was serious and the next he was some sort of enigma that bordered on being air headed. He was confusing as hell and even still the Slytherin wasn't sure how he managed to run a school. With all of the danger that Rose and himself had recently been facing, it was obvious that the man was less than ideal for the position. Chimeras and Reapers should not have been able to run amok and harm students.

"Just trust me when I say that… there's something more to him," Rose said gently before shaking her head and looking to the lake once more. There was a cool breeze rolling in that was chilling. She shivered a bit and moved closer to Scorpius without even thinking about it.

Scorpius wanted to wrap his arm around her shoulders to keep her warm but there were far too many eyes on them to do that. He hated that his heart ached at failing her due to such a simple motion and it had his mind buzzing as he considered several things. Rose meant so much to him and she had done so much for him despite his behaviors. She most certainly deserved someone better than himself but the thought of her being with another man was maddening. The blonde was unable to continue his line of thinking due to the representative preparing another speech.

"Witches and wizards! Thank you for joining us for the second task of the Triwizard Tournament!" he began, his voice amplified with his wand, and then pausing as the crowd cheered. "The current scoring is as follows: Durmstrang in first with forty-seven points, Beauxbatons in second with forty-three points, and Hogwarts in last place with thirty-eight points."

Rose winced as the scores were announced. She had known their marks and that they were in last place but it still hurt to hear. Durmstrang was incredibly ahead of them but she knew that if they continued to do their very best with this task and the next, she and Scorpius would have a chance to succeed and possibly even come in first. Stealing a glance at the other champions, Rose could see Alek looking in their direction and smiling smugly. Internally bristling, Rose promised they would kick their arses, regardless of her cousin dating him.

"Champions!" the representative called out, gaining their immediate attention. "Prepare yourselves!"

Alek broke his visual contact with Rose so that he could whisper to his partner before turning his attention to the lake in front of him. The Beauxbatons women were chattering amongst themselves in French as they too turned to face forward. Rose took a deep breath as she looked to Scorpius, silently reassuring him, before focusing herself as well. She had promised him that they would not be swimming across it.

"You may proceed in three…two…one!"

A sound similar to that of a muggle gunshot resonated, signaling that the task had begun. Just after the noise resounded across the lake, an item resembling a muggle television screen appeared high above and in front of the audience and stretched out on either side. There were three sections of the screen, each one zoomed in on its appropriate Champion. This was to enable the audience to watch each of the Champions even after they were out of the range. Rose wasn't sure what it was that was recording them, as the wizarding community did not use muggle technology such as video cameras, but she was sure that it was magical and invisible seeing as how it would have to follow each of them without being a hindrance.

The first to move were the Durmstrang men. Alek and Damien whispered to one another before nodding gruffly. They mirrored one another's gestures as they slid their wands into the holster on their leg and moved to the edge of their dock. Taking a breath, Damien dove into the water first before Alek followed after. Breaking the surface immediately, the Durmstrang duo began swimming effortlessly through the water, slicing through at an impressive speed. Rose was stunned that they had willingly decided to endure the cold and take the most obvious route to the island.

At first it appeared that the Beauxbatons champions weren't doing anything. The two girls were chattering back and forth in French and making movements with their wands. Frowning, Rose wondered what they were up to until she saw pieces of driftwood, that had sunken to the bottom of the lake, begin to pop up above the surface of the water and floating towards their dock. Within moments, the women had transfigured the pieces of wood into a crude raft that they delicately stepped onto. Marie knelt down carefully and aimed her wand at the water, effectively propelling the raft forwards. Despite their speed, the Durmstrang men were moving incredibly fast and staying ahead.

"So what's this brilliant plan of yours that does not involve getting in the water?" Scorpius inquired as he watched the Durmstrang Champions in disbelief. He recalled Dragoni hardly having been fazed by the frigidness when the man saved him from the Giant Squid. So it was no surprise that had chosen to swim across to the island.

"We're going to skate," Rose responded with a smirk which only widened when Scorpius provided her with a dumbfounded look.

"Excuse me?"

Moving to the edge of their dock, Rose aimed her wand at the water. The surface was dark and there were waves lightly lapping against the dock, hardly making the body of water seem ominous. Unfortunately for the Ravenclaw, she knew differently. The Giant Squid, she was sure, still lurked within the depths and she agreed with Scorpius that she did not want to be in the water. Not only would it be beyond cold, but there were other creatures besides the Giant Squid that caused her great concern.

" _Glacius!_ " She commanded firmly as freezing air shot from her wand and against the water.

Within moments, she had frozen the area of water in front of her, running about six feet from left to right along the dock and enough room in front for her to step on. She would need to continuously use the spell to freeze the area in front of them as they moved but this would essentially create a bridge to the island. Skating would be faster than swimming or riding a raft. It was a skill of hers that she rather enjoyed as her and her mother always went skating when the weather turned cold enough every year.

Feeling quite victorious, Rose couldn't help but smile as she heard the crowd rumble with excitement. Turning to Scorpius, she indicated for him to follow her example as she sat down on the edge of the dock with her legs dangling over the side and just above the ice. Waving her wand once more, she transfigured her shoes into ice skates. Silently, Scorpius followed suit but looked rather uneasy.

"Rose, I can't do this," he whispered, repeating her earlier statement from that morning. Her brows furrow, Rose gave him an inquisitive look.

"What do you mean? This is simple and if we work together to keep freezing the water, we will have the space necessary and we won't fall into the water. This was be much faster than either group of Champions," she assured him only to be greeted with a subtle head shake. Their backs were to the crowd which enabled Scorpius to demonstrate his true emotions.

"I… I can't ice skate," he mumbled embarrassedly, his cheeks flushing with his admittance. Rose couldn't help but gawk at him, her mouth partially open.

"You're telling me the great Scorpius Malfoy actually _can't_ do something?" She asked aghast. Despite his flustered appearance, he glared at her.

"Shut up. That's not helping. No, I can't. It wasn't something anyone in my family enjoyed and it was never something my grandfather found necessary to teach me," he grumbled unhappily.

Rose bit her lip uneasily as she considered the situation. Ice skating wasn't that hard, but for someone that had never even attempted it, the balance factor would be an issue. It really would be the fastest method across the lake, especially because she was quite proficient at it. That was not to say she could be an Olympic figure skater but she was decent. She had just made the assumption that Scorpius would have had the skill set. Despite the clock ticking, she calculated their options. It was another moment before she spoke.

"Alright, we're still going to proceed with my plan. It's going to be fine and I will help you," she declared with a firm nod. Scorpius wrinkled his nose with displeasure. He wasn't sure how she was going to instantly teach him a skill without making himself look like a fool. Not only was his family watching but the entire school and general public.

"And just what are you going to do?" he asked suspiciously as his eyes narrowed on her.

"Do you trust me?" she asked sincerely, her gaze never leaving his. Scorpius' breath hitched at her sincerity but slowly he nodded. Vaguely, he wondered if he would regret this later.

"Of course."

"Then do as I do," Rose finished as she slid off the dock and landed on the ice gracefully. Scorpius looked even more nervous than before as he attempted to do the same, looking much less graceful and nearly falling on his arse. Had Rose not reached out to steady him, he would have toppled into the water, no doubt.

Scorpius hated feeling vulnerable. There wasn't much that he couldn't do. He was so used to being perfect at just about everything that to find himself unable to perform such a simple task as ice skating, was incredibly embarrassing and almost humbling. He wasn't sure if it was because Rose was more focused on the task or it truly didn't matter, but he was thankful that she wasn't poking fun at him. Had the roles been reversed, he surely would have exploited her weakness.

No, he knew it wasn't because of the task. Rose truly cared about him and didn't want him to suffer intentionally. Despite everything he had done to her, both with malicious and helpful intentions, she continued to remain loyal and kind to him. Someone such as himself did not deserve her but he was blessed that he had her, even if it was not in the manner she was desiring. His heart ached but he wasn't able to give it much thought as Rose began speaking.

"Alright, here's what we are going to do. You need to stand in front of me and I'm going to push you. Just concentrate on keeping your balance and I'll worry about the speed. We will leave everyone behind," she said with a grin as she positioned the Slytherin in front of her before he could protest.

Nervous as hell, Scorpius did as he was commanded. Despite what she said, he knew that he was going to look like a fool regardless because it was going to be obvious that she was assisting him. Looking like an idiot in front of the audience wasn't ideal, but he decided that living through this task was much more important than his image, at least currently.

Rose had expected Scorpius to put up more of a fight than he had because what they were about to do was going to demonstrate his vulnerability. She had expected him to yell at her and demand a different plan just so that he didn't look silly. It warmed her heart that he had kept quiet and trusted her so completely. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach at the thought and she couldn't help but smile a bit.

"Okay, here we go," she whispered as she placed her hands on his lean hips. Already, the other Champions were quite a bit ahead of them but she wasn't worried. As soon as they got started, she and Scorpius would be leaving the others far behind.

Moving slowly at first, Rose gently pushed against him to urge him forwards. Scorpius' wand was drawn and he had begun casting the freezing spell in front of him so that they would have a continuous ice bridge that created itself as he moved forwards. His heart was racing heavily in his chest as they started off at a painfully slow pace. Silently, he cursed himself for being the reason why they could potentially lose this task. His uselessness was absolutely frustrating.

After a few moments of wobbling and nearly falling over, desperately trying to understand the footwork and balance required, Scorpius felt himself becoming more confident. While he did not know what he had been doing at first, he had always been a quick learner. Besides, it wasn't as though he needed to learn any fancy techniques. The both of them just had to get from point A to point B without plunging into the freezing depths of the lake.

Rose stayed close behind him, but had removed her hands from his hips. Had he not been more concerned with the task at hand, he would have indulged in her touch. However, he found himself amazed at how much he enjoyed the openness. Whatever their relationship was, it was hidden but to be out in the open where anyone could see them, it was freeing.

Just as Rose had promised, the Hogwarts duo was speeding across their ice bridge and overtaking their competition. In the distance, the amplified voice of the representative could be heard as he delivered a play-by-play commentary regarding the task. Rose couldn't make out his exact words after a while but before they had become out of ear shot, she had heard cheering.

"Rose, you're brilliant!" Scorpius called out over his shoulder, fighting against the roar of the wind as they sped along. Rose laughed gently as she continued skating after him, thrilled at the compliment and that he seemed to even to be enjoying himself slightly.

"I know but do go on!" she teased in return.

So far everything had been going according to plan. The faster they reached the island, the less chance there was of them encountering something dangerous. At least, that was Rose's thought process until she heard screams followed by the sound of glass shattering. Looking over her shoulder, her eyes widened in terror as she realized their ice bridge was being destroyed by the Giant Squid. The screams had come from the Beauxbatons women, whom were now bobbing along in the icy water, their raft having been obliterated. The squid had tore through them in its effort to get to Rose and Scorpius. Glaring back at her were the eerie blue eyes the squid had possessed the day it went hostile.

"Scorpius, we have a problem!" she screamed, causing him to nearly fall as he attempted to stop. Stopping on ice was not the same as stopping on land. He almost took down the both of them as Rose helped him come to a halt. Once he was sure he wasn't going to fall, he looked back and mirrored her expression, wishing that he hadn't stopped at all.

"Shit! I thought they fixed that damn thing!" he bellowed, beyond pissed that the creature had been released while it was still so incredibly dangerous. Yes, this was the Triwizard Tournament but it was just as bad as the chimera. He shuddered as he recalled his own near death experience with the beast at the behest of Potter.

"You and me both!" she yelled in response.

The Giant Squid appeared to have a vendetta specifically towards them as it didn't pay any attention to either of the other sets of Champions. Unfortunately, the Beauxbatons women were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their raft had been destroyed but aside from that, they were relatively unharmed as the squid continued it's course towards Scorpius and Rose.

"Move!" Scorpius commanded as he reached for Rose's hand and tugged her along.

The duo both extended their wands and continued using the freezing spell so that they would have a larger area to skate along. If they could reach the island, they would stand a better chance against the squid instead of being stranded in the middle of its domain. Scorpius was beginning to wonder if the tournament was somehow rigged as it was incredibly unfair that they were the only ones being targeted.

Skating literally for their lives, Rose and Scorpius pushed forwards but looked over their shoulders when they suddenly no longer heard the squid tearing after them. Rose frowned as she realized that it had changed its course and was now heading towards the Beauxbatons Champions. The women were trailing last in the race to the island, with the Durmstrang men surprisingly still ahead just by swimming. Scorpius found his previous line of thinking to be false as the squid changed its course but there was a nagging sensation at the back of his mind that indicated that something more was going on.

"Looks like it's distracted, we need to go!" Scorpius declared quickly as he continued moving forwards but was abruptly pulled back. Growling, yet again he nearly landed on his arse. "What the hell, Rose?!"

"We can't leave them!" Scorpius' face dropped and his mouth hung open, aghast at her words. "Listen, I know this is a tournament and they have been less than pleasant to us, but that's no excuse to allow them to die. Clearly there is something wrong with this tournament and no one is safe," Rose explained.

"You can't be serious?!" the Slytherin whined, but Rose had already begun creating a new bridge in the direction of the women who were desperately trying to swim away while casting spells at the creature. "Of course you're serious." Scorpius growled loudly before he had no choice but to follow his partner. There was no way in hell he was going to allow her to act stupid alone.

Once Rose was close enough, she began firing her own spells at the squid, trying to get its attention away from the women. It worked a little too well as the cephalopod let loose a horrific scream that was as grating as nails on a chalkboard. Stopping suddenly and trying very hard not to move, Rose realized that the ice around her was cracking and shattering because of the frequency the cry had reached. The last thing the Ravenclaw needed was to be plunged into the water where the squid could get at her more easily.

"Rose!" Scorpius called out, finding himself unable to proceed as he had been following behind Rose on her ice bridge. There had been enough of a distance between them that when the bridge started to fall apart, he was on the other side of it and away from her. He was about to fix the gap with another freezing spell when Rose called out to him.

"Stay back!" Rose commanded as she steadied her breathing.

There was too much for her to concentrate on as she found herself face to face with the squid. Its beak was easily the size of half her body and it loomed in its entirety above her. The squid hardly ever came above the water's surface and here it was, fully emerged and encasing Rose in its shadow. There was no denying the fear that she felt, especially as she kept an eye on its tentacles that it was waving dangerously. If she needed to move, she either needed to cast the freezing spell or dive into the water. There was no way for her to both cast the freezing spell and fire either defensive or offensive spells.

The eerie blue eyes were focused heavily on the red head, but she looked everywhere else but at them. Having learned the devastation effects of the hypnosis the chimera had been able to perform, she was using her peripheral to keep an eye on its face. If she fell under its spell now, she would be doomed for sure. Calculating her potential options, she called over her shoulder back at Scorpius.

"Get Marie and Antoinette now and get to the island," she instructed calmly. Despite not being able to see him, she could sense Scorpius' hesitation but she was thankful that he began moving as he had been told.

Rose could see that the squid was now interested in Scorpius, but Rose would not allow for it to be deterred from herself. She shot a stunning spell directly at its eyes, causing it to screech and flail. More of her bridge shattered, but she used the fact that the squid was momentarily distracted to her advantage. Yet again, she used her freezing spell so that she was able to skate around the irritated squid. This time, she moved away from it, hoping that it would take the bait and follow her, away from all of the other champions.

Scorpius was less than thrilled at being told what to do but even more so that he was having to leave Rose alone to fend for herself. However, he knew that if he didn't save the damn Beauxbatons Champions, the red head would continue to endanger herself until the task had been completed. Somehow managing to stop in front of the French women, he reached his hand out to them. How in the hell he was going to continue to remain upright on ice and pull them up was beyond him but he would figure it out. Damn, why in the hell had no one in his family thought it a good idea to teach him to ice skate? His lack of balance was making everything so complicated.

"Come on, let's go!" he growled irritably, wanting nothing more than to get them to the island so that he could help Rose.

Despite the imminent danger, Antoinette glared at the blonde and refused to take his hand. She angrily cursed in French and looked as though she might try and swim away regardless. Scorpius had thought that he was proud as hell but this woman put him to shame. At least he was smart enough to have self preservation.

Marie, on the other hand, was only to eager to be pulled from the water. She took his hand and scrambled onto the ice uneasily. Following his example, she transfigured her shoes into ice skates and held herself perfectly. Silently, Scorpius cursed the fact that she obviously knew what she was doing. He looked even more like an unbalanced idiot standing next to her. Sighing with great annoyance, he directed his frustrations at Antoinette.

"Look, I don't give a damn what happens to you. I suggest you get your arse up here now and live before I leave you here to fend for yourself. I'm only doing this because Rose wants to help," he snapped, really wanting to drown the stubborn woman.

Looking taken aback by Scorpius' declaration, Antoinette finally conceded and was helped up by both her partner and the Slytherin. Grateful that the woman had finally decided to see sense, Scorpius looked over to find that Rose had skated a rather large distance away with the Giant Squid in tow. Swearing viciously enough to cause the two women beside him to blush, he instructed them to head to the island using Rose's ice skating technique. Without waiting to see if they listened, he made his way towards his partner.

Rose was beginning to feel as though this was a game of Cat and Mouse. Neither herself nor the squid had really been attacking one another. It was mostly evasion on her part as she waited for Scorpius to get the women to safety. Even as good as she was with her spell casting, there was no way she could take down the squid by herself. In fact, she was surprised that the representative of the tournament had not stepped in somehow to have it removed. How could something so incredibly dangerous be allowed in the tournament still? Had this been part of the plan? Why wasn't the headmaster getting involved at least?

Something else that was bothering the hell out of her was that the Durmstrang Champions cared only for themselves. Yes, this was a tournament but she believed in sportsmanship. Instead, they were exploiting her and Scorpius' disadvantage and utilizing it for their own benefit as the squid wanted nothing to do with either one of them. Considering that Alek was dating her cousin, she would have figured he would have liked to demonstrate a chivalrous image to stay on her good side. The prat would have done well in Slytherin.

Sliding in at a speed that Rose found to be impressive, considering that he just learned how to skate, Scorpius appeared beside her. The man took several deep breaths as he tried to calm himself down. He had been terrified that he would not reach her in time and have to watch as she was mutilated by the squid. The thought of losing her took his breath away faster than the actual effort of skating had. His hand sought hers out as his free hand gripped his wand tightly and aimed it at the squid.

"We need to get to that island. Neither one of us is at an advantage to take this thing down. You were right in saying that skating is the fastest method. We need to concentrate on that. I'll continue making our bridge which frees you up to cast any spells if necessary if this bastard continues to follow us," Scorpius instructed, wanting to ensure her safety and give orders for once. Rose hesitated as he had, not used to not being the one in control, but also, as he had done, she listened.

"Right, lead the way," she agreed, smiling a bit as he smirked in response.

Despite making light of the situation, both of the Champions were very attuned to what was happening. As though psychically linked, the duo moved at the same time and began skating as fast as they could away from the squid. Immediately, the creature pursued them, screeching and flailing its tentacles in an effort to stop them. Rose fired behind her a few stunning spells and continued to follow Scorpius while taking in her environment.

Everywhere she looked there was a heavy fog. She could, thankfully, make out the island that they were desperately trying to reach, which had her heart racing with potential relief. It meant that they were so close. To their far left, she could see the Beauxbatons Champions racing along their own ice bridge and just overtaking the Durmstrang men who were still slicing through the water. Rose would have to say, despite being irritated with the men, she was impressed with their stamina and speed.

Suddenly, Scorpius veered left and while Rose didn't question it at first, she rolled her eyes a moment later when she realized just what he was doing. It was too late for her to stop him, but the Slytherin was purposely cutting their bridge in front of the Durmstrang men to slow them down and potentially force them to deal with the squid. With Alek having saved his life from the squid once before, Rose found this to be a terrible method of displaying his gratitude.

"Scorpius, what in the hell are you doing?" she asked disapprovingly. Flashing her an innocent smile, he simply shrugged.

"No idea what you are talking about. I'm just trying to get us to the island faster," he responded before snickering to himself.

Scorpius was more than annoyed that the Durmstrang Champions had not come to anyone's aid. Being a Slytherin, he could understand taking advantage of the situation but seeing as how Rose was involved and she meant the world to him, he wasn't tolerant of their selfish behavior. Besides, something with Dragoni didn't sit right with him and it had started when the git had saved him from the squid.

There was something suspicious about that event especially because he had been unconscious for most of it. He didn't recall passing out from the lack of oxygen. Vaguely, he had the suspicion that he had been hexed, though if he inquired about it, he was sure it would be denied or claimed to have been a stray spell. This wasn't anything he felt that he needed to tell Rose, but now he was starting to wonder.

A moment later and the Hogwarts duo's ice bridge had indeed cut in front of the Durmstrang Champions, causing the two men to halt in their swimming. Each one looked rather pissed and Scorpius could not stop from smiling smugly. The squid was hot on their tails and Rose saw Krum reach beneath the water to grab his wand and point it at the beast. Alek, however, did not move and shifted his glare from Scorpius to the squid. Just as the squid would have reached the entire group, it dove beneath the water and disappeared.

Rose felt her heart leap into her throat at the disappearance of the creature. It made her incredibly nervous that she couldn't see it and that it could pop up at any second. She was surprised the Durmstrang men were not more concerned seeing as how they were both in the water and could be grabbed more easily than anyone else. Seconds passed and no one moved nor barely breathed as they waited for something to happen. When a full five minutes had gone by, Rose exhaled slowly as she looked around.

"It's… gone," she observed quietly as her gaze shifted from each of the three males before falling permanently on Alek. The man seemed unnaturally calm.

"So it would seem, let's take advantage of this and go," Scorpius said quickly before he pulled Rose along before she could come up with another cockamamie scheme to help out another Champion and potentially place them in last once more.

"Scorpius, something doesn't seem right about this," Rose complained as she followed him quickly. The Durmstrang men had dove beneath their ice bridge and continued their path of swimming along the surface to the island. Ahead, it could be seen that the Beauxbatons women had just climbed onto the island.

"Rose, there hasn't been a damn thing right about this whole fucking tournament. Let's just live through this and question the specifics later," the blonde groaned as they picked up their pace.

The whole scenario didn't sit right with Rose and she found herself in a daze even after they finally reached the island. Because of her distraction, she ended up colliding with Scorpius and they both tumbled to the ground. In a mass of tangled limbs, Rose couldn't help but laugh as she was brought to reality.

"We can out skate a squid, but we can't manage a successful dismount," she said with a giggle. At first Scorpius was annoyed but his expression slowly melted into that of a smile before he joined in her laughter. It was just a relief to finally be on dry land. He would have to say they were rather successful as neither one of them had landed in the water which had been once of his biggest concerns.

"Hey, I think I did pretty damn well considering that I had never been on ice before today. This one is your fault. Own up to it," he teased as he gazed down at his beauty.

She was stunning and despite them being in the middle of a death tournament, he wanted to kiss her badly. Knowing, however, that they were still being watched, he refrained. Instead, he untangled himself and helped Rose up, transfiguring both of their skates back into shoes. He hated that he saw a flicker of disappointment dance across the red-head's face but he knew that she understood his reasoning. It didn't make it any less painful however.

Rose had not been blind. She had noticed the way that Scorpius had looked at her and she desperately wanted him to act upon his desire. There was no denying that she felt the same way about him. His laughter had been charming and the way that his hair stuck out at wild angles from their excursion in combination with his tight outfit had only made her want him more. Sure, she could act on her impulse and he could play it off, but she wanted him to want it too. She wanted him to want their publicity. Realizing this was a silly time to be worrying about such a thing, she pushed the thought aside and looked around.

The island itself was not very large at all, possessing enough space to hold all of the Champions comfortably with a single dock on the far side. Rose recalled the piece of land sitting much lower beneath the water level as when Alek and Scorpius had been resting on it previously, they were still mostly in the water. She figured that it must have been adjusted for the sake of the tournament which included the dock which hadn't been there before now. Surrounding them was the impenetrable fog that made it impossible to see anything outside of the island. Rose wasn't sure where their next destination was.

Looking just as confused as Scorpius and Rose, Marie and Antoinette looked around nervously and spoke quietly to one another. They had been the first to arrive but didn't appear to know any more than anyone else did. The Hogwarts Champions stood nearby, frowning as they also attempted to make sense of the situation. A moment later and Alek and Damien were climbing up onto the island, soaked to the bone but looking rather unaffected. With a quick wave of his wand, Alek had cast a spell to instantly dry the two of them.

"Vut do ve do now?" Damien inquired to his partner as he look around. "Ve ver told to go from here to another landmark but how and vhere?" He was met with silence as Alek began walking around and inspecting their surroundings.

Rose couldn't help but watch the two work, seeing as how neither herself nor Scorpius had any better ideas. As far as they were concerned, they were trapped on an island in the middle of the lake surrounded by a heavy fog with the Giant Squid somewhere beneath them. There was no way any of the Champions were stupid enough to just head into the water and blindly begin swimming towards a visionless destination.

"Do you 'ear zat?" Marie asked suddenly as a loud creaking noise made itself known. It sounded like rickety old wood, rocking and tilting, causing strain upon the material. Rose felt that it was very reminiscent of a row boat.

Appearing out of the fog were three separate dim lights that appeared to be floating out of the nothingness. Each Champion turned their attention to the new apparitions which were headed towards the single dock at the end of the island. Soon enough, it became clear that each of the lights were lanterns hanging from the top of an old boat. Rose recognized the boat as being that from the book she had read concerning the ferryman, Charon.

The three lights became one as it the boats moved in a single line. One of the boats came into full view a moment later. It was incredibly old and didn't look as though it was able to hold any passengers. Either end of the vessel was arched upwards and curled towards the inside of the boat. On the front was where the lantern hung. However, the most disturbing aspect was the creature controlling the ferry.

Standing perfectly in the center, was the reaper that Rose had encountered twice; once in the castle on her first night and the second time in the Shrieking Shack. A shiver ran down her spine as she saw its flaming eyes illuminated beneath its dark hood. Its face could not be seen but she knew that it would still be skeletal and looking as though it had come from the bottom of the lake. In one of its boney hands it possessed a long oar that was used to push the boat along.

Rose's body tensed as she waited for the screams that it would inevitably produce. When she was met with continued silence, she felt her heart race viciously in terrified anticipation. Her hand sought out Scorpius', wondering if he was feeling the same nervousness that she did. He had, after all, endured the reaper with her in the Shrieking Shack. She felt a fraction better as she felt his hand squeeze hers in response, but neither one of them were able to look away from the phantom before them.

Having recalled that they were still in a tournament, Damien and Alek took a step forwards, moving towards the reaper. The creature appeared unaffected by their approach but instead waited expectantly. Without skipping a beat, the two men carefully stepped onto the boat. At first, nothing happened. The reaper didn't react and neither did the men. Slowly, after what felt like an eternity, the phantom turned its head to look at its new passengers.

"Pay…ment…" it commanded deeply, once more its voice sounding as though it were coming through the muck at the bottom of the lake. Alek and Damien exchanged a glance before reaching into their pockets. They each pulled out a coin and showed it to the reaper before quickly returning it out of sight. Seemingly satisfied, the reaper quietly began moving the boat away from the dock and into the thickening fog.

Moving in place of the first reaper, was the second one, looking exactly the same. It waited at the dock as Marie and Antoinette scrambled over and mirrored the Durmstrang Champions' movements. Once their coins were safely tucked away, they too were swept away into the fog. Rose felt her heart continue to race as she realized that she and Scorpius had a serious problem. The third and final reaper took its place at the dock. Something about the way it looked at them made Rose realize that this had been the exact reaper she had encountered twice before.

"Scorpius… we only have one coin. Why do we only have one coin?" she whispered worriedly as she tore her gaze away from the creature and looked to the Slytherin.

"There must have been two coins we needed to retrieve from the chimera," he explained with a groan as he rubbed his temples. Of course they had failed the first task royally. As if it wasn't enough they had come in dead last but apparently they were seriously under prepared for this task. It was no wonder that the other Champions had appeared so smug before. They were aware that Rose and himself only had one coin.

"Do you think… we can perform a simple duplication spell?" she inquired as she once more began calculating their situation.

"I would love to say yes but somehow I doubt that it's that simple. There seems to be some sort of magical, magnetic property to these coins. It made the chimera obsessive before. Who knows how this damn thing will react. We already know partially what it is capable of," he replied as he visibly shivered. Just recalling the blood curdling screams were enough to make the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. It also didn't help that it felt as though the weather was getting colder the further out onto the lake they headed and the heavier the fog became.

"We have to try something. According to lore, Charon would not carry anyone across the River Styxx unless they had payment. Only one of us has a coin," she mused as she frowned, desperately trying to produce a solution.

Scorpius withdrew the coin from his pocket and turned it over in his hand several times as he thought. They only did have one coin and he wasn't confident enough that they could reproduce whatever magical signature it possessed. Considering the fact that he couldn't even feel any magic radiating off of the piece of metal, he knew that it would be unwise to even try. The reaper would see through it immediately. Just as he was about to give up and yell in frustration, an idea popped into is head.

"I think, I have a plan," he said quietly as he moved closer to Rose. This would be risky and they could potentially be placed into immediate danger, but if they didn't act quickly, they weren't going to have even a fighting chance at placing decently in the tournament.

"I trust you," Rose whispered quickly before Scorpius softly explained his plan to her.

Taking a deep breath, Scorpius moved forward first and stepped into the boat. He held his hand out to help Rose into the vessel with him. Praying to Merlin that this worked, the Slytherin turned to face the reaper, whom was staring down at them. It's flaming eyes were intimidating but Scorpius refused to allow himself to succumb to the feeling. Once more, he produced the coin and held it up so that it could be seen by the vessels' unearthly captain.

Rose stood directly behind him and waited patiently with bated breath for the rest of their plan. Then Scorpius made a movement as though he was tucking the coin into his back pocket to which the Ravenclaw was able to snag it from his grasp and quickly slid it into her own pocket. She hoped that their sleight of hand had gone unnoticed as was intended. Exhaling slowly, she took the coin out of her pocket, as though it had always resided there, and showed it to the reaper.

Scorpius held his breath as he waited nervously to see if their plan had worked. They had both worked quickly, attempting to be as deceptive as possible. He just hoped that each coin didn't have their own magical signature but rather the same signature duplicated with each piece of metal. It felt like another span of eternity had passed before the reaper bowed its head and turned around to urge the boat forwards. Scorpius exhaled so deeply he felt lightheaded but he was thankful all the same it had worked.

"You're brilliant," Rose whispered into his ear as she leaned forwards, replicating his compliment to her from earlier. Her chin rested on his shoulder while her hand grasped his bicep. She had a good feeling that they would do much better in this task even if they had been unprepared. Hopefully that had been the only element that they had been at a disadvantage for.

"I know," he said with a smirk as he felt himself relax into her touch. There was something about her that was instantly calming to him.

The two Champions took their seat in the boat as it moved along sluggishly. While they both knew better than to relax too much, for this was a tournament, it felt as though they were able to have a brief reprieve. Despite not knowing what else was to come, they were feeling mostly confident currently. They had been able to survive this far and with very little in their arsenal.

Rose had hoped that the further they moved, the clearer the fog would become but instead it seemed to be getting impossibly thicker. All around them was a deep white, grey haze that was completely disorienting. She had no idea what direction they had come from nor where they were going. They were both at the mercy of the reaper, whom was unnaturally quiet. Having endured its soul shattering screams, neither one of them were willing to repeat the pain.

Having nowhere else to look, Rose kept her attention on the water of the lake as they floated along. True to it's other name, the Black Lake, it was completely black and dark. She couldn't see any more in the water than she could through the fog. Recalling various books she had read over the years concerning the lake, she knew of the different creatures that called it home. She wondered if there would be hinkypunks attempting to steer them astray. Considering that they were not the ones controlling the boat, seeing as how those particular creatures liked to lead their victims asunder, she found that to be incredibly pointless.

She supposed there could be grindylows but as aggressive as they were, they wouldn't do well against a wizard and a witch, even if there were several of them. The merpeople didn't like coming up above the surface so she also felt that they were safe from them. As a child, she had grown up with the muggle stories about mermaids which portrayed them to be beautiful creatures that demonstrated kindness. Growing up, she researched lore that depicted them as quite the opposite, being sirens that lured their victims to their untimely demise. Then there were the stories from her Uncle Harry that dealt with his personal encounter with the creatures. They were anything but kind.

"What are you thinking about?" Scorpius asked gently, desperately wanting to reach across and take her hand into his, but yet again, he was hyper aware of the fact that they were still being watched even if they couldn't see how. Otherwise, the tournament would have been a rather boring spectacle if the audience couldn't continue to observe them.

"Oh… just going through my mental log of what lives in the lake and what our potential enemies could be," she answered with a small smile. Scorpius sat directly across from her so that they did not offset the balance of the boat but she desperately wanted to be sitting next to him, with his arm around her so that she could enjoy his comfort and warmth.

"Yeah? Any ideas?" he inquired, despite having his own idea of what they could be fighting.

"A few. To be honest, this seems to be the easiest part of the task, as of right now. Most of the creatures in the lake will only come after you if provoked or if you land in the water. If we keep our constant vigilance, we should remain dry and unharmed," she responded with a smile.

"Yes… let's stay out of the water," he mumbled with a groan as he glared at the offensive liquid. Already he had to encounter the Giant Squid for a second time. It was not his goal to make it a third time. While it had not made its presence known again, he wasn't wholly convinced that it was gone.

Scorpius found himself startled as the black surface of the lake was disturbed by the presence of a faint glowing orb of light within its depths. Looking up, it didn't appear that Rose had seen anything but she was also looking on the other side of the boat. Frowning, he returned his gaze and found that several more lights had appeared, some of the first ones flickering out and dying while others took its place. It reminded him of twinkling stars but far more menacing. There was nothing peaceful about what he was gazing at. It was felt… haunting.

Jolting suddenly, he saw the ghostly appearance of a decaying face. Its features were unrecognizable but the most he had been able to discern was that it was indeed that of a human. The skin was bloated and a terrible bluish, grey color with the eyes a milky white. The orb of light he had seen earlier was present and placed where a mouth should have been. The head bore some sort of dark hair that danced around its face as it bobbed close to the surface for a moment before disappearing. He couldn't tell if it was male or female. Scorpius felt his heart hammer against his chest.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked quickly, having seen her partner jump as though something had shocked him. Scorpius looked to the water once more, his gaze having flickered briefly to Rose's face, to find that it was just as black and still as before.

"Nothing, must be seeing things," he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes a bit. The fog had to be messing with him along with the stress of the tournament.

Barely a moment had passed before the face popped up again, but this time there were three more and all of their eyes were locked onto his. Scorpius gripped the edge of the boat in terror, his knuckles turning white as he found himself unable to look away from the deathly gaze of the decomposed faces. Soon enough, the entire lake was filled with more faces, glowing with the orbs of light. The water itself turned silver and shimmery, moving very similarly to mercury.

He wasn't sure if it was the water or the faces, but he felt himself being drawn in. Leaning closer and closer, Scorpius was hovering over the edge of the boat, his face nearly touching the tainted water. While there wasn't a physical voice, someone or something was speaking to him, promising him peace if only he moved a bit closer. His gaze never left that of the nearest sallow face, the orb of light growing brighter. Just a bit closer…

The world around him began swirling and shifting, various images flashing before him. Scorpius found himself suspended in a state of weightlessness as the mercury water surrounded him. It wasn't thick as he had expected it to be but rather airy and light. He could breathe and it didn't feel as though he was sinking beneath liquid. It was as though he was simply existing in space.

At first there was no sound and he merely felt at ease and peaceful. The soundless voice had kept its promise and he felt calmer than he had in a very long time. He could forget the tournament for a while and the stress of battling his feelings for Rose and gaining his family's approval. For just the moment, he could exist and think of himself. It was intoxicating and he found himself never wanting to leave; to just remain this way forever.

All too soon, his peace was shattered. Before him materialized the figure of his grandfather Lucius. He stood impressive and regal as ever, dressed impeccably with his white blonde hair tied low at the nape of his neck. His hair was more white than blonde due to age and the lines of his face had hardened but he was still a reasonably attractive man. There was no doubting the family resemblance between Scorpius and him. His cold eyes stared disapprovingly at the youngest Malfoy, both of his hands resting firmly on his signature cane that was standing before him.

"What a disappointment you have become, no different than you father. All those years of upbringing wasted. You never had the potential to become an honor to the Malfoy name. Now you have shamed not only yourself but this family. I should have expected no less from the son of Draco," he declared coldly, his eyes narrowing.

Scorpius felt something grip his heart painfully at the sheer disappointment and shame that his grandfather was displaying. In an instant, he felt like a young boy again, vying for his grandfather's approval at everything he did. He hated the vulnerability and feeling so small and insignificant. His entire life had been dedicated to being the perfect grandson and son; to be the perfect representation to the Malfoy name and restore it to its former glory. To hear his grandfather's unhappiness and disdain was shattering.

Breathing heavily, Scorpius wasn't ready for the scene to change. The image of his grandfather disappeared as though he had been composed of smoke. Once his wispy image dissipated entirely, it was replaced with the figures of his mother and father. Yet again, disappointment was etched onto their faces. His mother looked as though she had been crying, a handkerchief in her hand as she dabbed at her running makeup.

"Scorpius, how dare you break your mother's heart. She has shown you nothing but love and this is how you repay her? You were supposed to be better than me and revive our name. We have done nothing to receive such an ungrateful son who refuses to abide by our rules. You have left us with no choice, you are disowned from the Malfoy family," his father stated sharply with his mother sobbing at his side.

Scorpius opened his mouth to defend himself but found that no words would come out. Watching his mother fall apart before him was almost too much for his heart to take. All he had wanted was to be the perfect son to both his mother and his father. He and his father didn't have the closest relationship but Scorpius still loved and wanted to please him. His relationship was much better with his mother and as he had grown older, he had done his best to take care of her in his father's place when he was traveling. Seeing as how his grandfather and mother did not get along, the less they saw of each other the better. The need for their assistance diminished as soon as Scorpius had learned to become more self sufficient, despite him having been so young.

Tears pricked the Slytherin's eyes as he tried to get a grip on himself. He had no idea what was happening but his previous moment of peace was long gone and being replace with absolute agony. Now, all he wanted was for this nightmare to end. His insecurities were coming to light and taking over him. There had been no one that he could express any of these feelings to and for some reason they were manifesting now before his very eyes.

Yet again, the image of his parents faded away but he was not prepared for who was to replace them. Bright blue eyes gazed at him with anger and pain, her red hair falling in her face, matching the mottled color of her cheeks. Rose had her hands clenched at her sides, visibility mad at him for something. She was hurting and angry because of something he had done. What it was, he had no idea but instantly he was sorry.

"I fucking hate you! You're such a bastard! How dare you think that I could ever love someone like you! The notion is absolutely laughable. Who could ever love someone like you? You're absolutely worthless, despite this brilliant act you put on. Nothing you do will ever change who you are. You're completely selfish and are no better than the failed name you represent. Stay the hell out of my life forever!" she screamed, her hair floating around her with the weightlessness of whatever atmosphere Scorpius had been transferred to.

Her words had been his undoing. Tears slid down his cheeks as he felt himself falling apart. There was no point in trying to say anything as he had already discovered that he could not speak. Failing his family was horrible but to fail Rose was more than he could stand. She had come to mean everything to him and he knew that he was in love with her. Up to this point, she had stood by his side even when he did not deserve it. She wanted a relationship with him, something he refused to give because he was afraid of disappointing his family and tarnishing his name. Never did he look passed this and realize that she had stayed with him regardless. She gave him her affections despite knowing that he refused to commit. Until this moment, he hadn't even truly realized just how much he loved her.

"Scorpius!" Rose shouted as she reached for the Slytherin, just as he plunged forward and submerged his head.

He hadn't been beneath the water for more than a second but when she pulled him back into the boat, he was shaking harshly and she could tell that he was crying, despite the water on his face from the lake. His eyes were darting back and forth but he wasn't really seeing anything. It terrified her to see him lose his composure so suddenly. She wasn't sure what he had seen, but she recognized his behavior. When she had been under the chimera's hypnotic spell, she responded the same way. Just as Scorpius had dipped his head beneath the water, it had turned into a mercury substance. She was worried that he had been poisoned.

"Scorpius, look at me. What happened?" she asked softly, but firmly.

"I'm so sorry. So, so sorry. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I'm sorry," he begged repeatedly as he clung to Rose, burying his face against her chest. He wasn't sure what was real or what was in his mind but he wanted her to forgive him. No, he needed her to forgive him.

Rose was taken aback by his response, having never, ever seen this side of him. She could count the number of times Scorpius had apologized over anything on one hand. Here he was, begging for forgiveness. Ignoring the fact that his family was watching them, she wrapped her arms around him and gently comforted him. She rubbed his back and whispered reassurances into his ear until his trembling subsided.

"There is nothing to be sorry for. Whatever you saw, it wasn't your fault," she assured him as she cradled his head against her chest. Her strong Slytherin was so vulnerable and it broke her heart. No one should feel as he was. It wasn't something she would wish on even her worst enemy, which, up until a few months ago, had been him.

Scorpius took solace in the rhythmic beating of Rose's heart as he calmed down. Slowly but surely, he realized that this time, he had been the one caught in a vision of sorts. Somehow, he had been hypnotized. Why it hadn't affected Rose this time, he wasn't sure, but he was thankful for her comfort. The boat continued to move along the silver water slowly, gently rocking as he closed his eyes and allowed his body to relax with the motion.

Yet again, his moment of peace was shattered as he heard screams coming from somewhere within the fog. It sounded like the Beauxbatons women. A second later and a male scream also echoed but as to which Durmstrang Champion it was, he wasn't sure. There was some comfort to be had that he was not the only one to fall victim to the water's tricks.

"Scorpius, what happened?" Rose asked gently as the blonde sat up and rubbed his face before holding his head in his hands.

"I saw… terrible things… obviously fake visions. There's something with the water," he mumbled before looking up at her, feeling quite exhausted.

"Yeah, but the water didn't turn until after you had gone in. What made you do that?" she inquired with a frown, not understanding why he would have decided to go into the water unprovoked.

"What are you talking about? Didn't you see the faces? The lights?" he asked in astonishment. At least when Rose had been hypnotized by the chimera, he had seen that its eyes had changed color. How could she have not seen the faces when he knew that she had been looking at the water as he had?

"Faces? Lights? Scorpius, I have no idea what you're talking about. The water was fine and then the moment your face touched it, it became what it is now. You saw faces and lights? What did they look like?" Rose questioned, her eyes wide in confusion and surprise. With a heavy sigh, Scorpius explained himself. Before she could respond, the reaper finally spoke.

"Don't… follow… the… lights…" Scorpius' mouth actually hung open before he yelled in frustration and glared at the damned thing.

"Well no shite! Could have warned us, you bastard!" Scorpius snarled as he jumped up. He drew his wand in a moment of fury, unsure of what he was going to do, but he wanted to lash out. Had Rose not chosen then to press her hand to his shoulder to stop him, he might have made a grievous mistake and acted impulsively.

"Calm down, it's going to be okay," Rose assured him as she pulled him back down into a sitting position. The last thing either one of them needed was for the reaper to begin attacking them before they reached their destination.

"Don't you dare say that we need to go save the other idiotic champions. We can't see a damn thing in this fog and I refuse even more so than before to get in this frigid, hellish water," Scorpius growled as he crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. Rose had to bite her lower lip to keep from smiling at his blatant pouting.

"No, I agree. Now we need to think about us. This is where it's going to get more difficult and if I keep worrying about others, I'm going to get us killed," she agreed with great difficulty. It wasn't in her to ignore those in need but she had to worry about her and Scorpius' safety first. The Slytherin relaxed when he realized she wasn't going to fight him.

Several moments of silence passed between the two as the boat continued on its course. The fog was still heavy and neither one of them were able to see where they were going. Rose hoped that the reaper was steering them in the right direction and wasn't sending them to their deaths. She no longer heard the screams of the other Champions and she hoped that was because they had found a way to save themselves instead of the morbid alternative.

Suddenly, the boat came to a standstill and the reaper faced the duo silently. Rose and Scorpius both tensed as they both reached for their wands, unsure of what was going to happen next. While the reaper had never done anything more than scream at them, which was agonizing in itself, they had never actually been attacked. Neither one knew what sort of skill set it possessed. Scorpius moved so that he was directly in front of Rose. If it was going to attack, he was going to make sure that she was safe no matter what.

"Pay…ment…" it demanded, extending its boney hand towards Scorpius.

Barely giving it a thought, and wanting to appease the reaper immediately, Scorpius dug into his pocket and procured the metal coin. If he could prevent the reaper from causing harm to either one of them, then he was going to do whatever it took. Besides, he knew that he would have to pay the ferryman eventually. He just wasn't sure how much longer it was going to take to reach their destination. Just as he handed the coin over, Rose began shouting.

"Scorpius, no!" she screamed, but it was too late. The reaper had the coin and turned its attention to Rose, noticing that she refused to give payment. Its fiery gaze returned to Scorpius before its mouth opened wide, its jaw seemingly unhinged. "If you pay the ferryman before you reach your destination, he will dump you from the boat!"

No sooner had Rose given her explanation, a piercing scream was elicited from the reaper, disorienting them both. Covering her ears, the red head was able to keep her eyes open long enough to see Scorpius launched from the boat and land several feet away in the water with a large splash. The screams stopped after a moment but her ears were still ringing. While the reaper didn't know that she didn't actually have payment, she didn't have to prove that until they had reached their destination. However, there was no way in hell she was leaving Scorpius to fend for himself, especially with the kind of effect the water had on him.

Taking a breath, Rose dove over the side of the boat and into the freezing water. Despite it's odd appearance, it was still just as cold as before. The air was stolen from her lungs and she desperately propelled herself to the surface and inhaled the sharp, cold air which stung as it filled her body. Within seconds, she was speeding towards Scorpius and arriving at his side. As of that moment, he appeared to be alright, just extremely pissed.

"Fucking dammit! Shite! I fucking knew that too!" he snarled as he furiously flailed his arms against the water, causing it to splash in all directions. Rose exhaled deeply as she, yet again, attempted to calm down her hot tempered partner.

"It's fine, we will figure it out—" she began but was cut off by an angry Scorpius.

"Yeah, and how in the hell are we going to do that?! We can't see a damn thing and I have no idea how long I am going to last in this forsaken water!" he hissed, pissed at himself and the tournament. "Ugh, I'm sorry. I'm just furious at myself. I don't mean to take it out on you." The image of her hurt and angry reaction to him was still fresh in his mind and he was sure that it was going to haunt him for a long time.

"I get it. We just need to burn off this fog and hopefully then we can see where we are and where we need to go," Rose explained as she turned around a few times in the water as she attempted to discern what direction they needed to head in.

"Alright, what spell do you recommend?" Scorpius inquired as he moved closer to Rose for warmth. Already the water was stealing the heat from his body and he was nervous about the faces returning and taking him back to whatever screwed up dimension he had been in.

"A Hot-Air Charm," she replied simply as she raised her wand up and in front of her. It was difficult to remain afloat while making the necessary gestures for the spell but she managed and a stream of hot air flew from the end of her wand.

Scorpius followed suit and before long the duo had managed to burn away enough of the fog to make out the outline of the Forbidden forest that rested on the other side of the Great Lake. Surprisingly, they were more than half way to their destination, which Scorpius was incredibly grateful for. The sooner they got out of the water, the better and warmer he would feel. Offering Rose a semi-victorious smile, he began swimming in the correct direction. Rose really was brilliant both in general and in high pressure situations.

Thankful that her plan had worked, Rose returned Scorpius' smile as she followed after him. The coldness was seeping into her bones and she wanted nothing more than to dry herself off. Seeing what the water did to Scorpius, on top of her previous experiences with hypnotism, she didn't want to linger around in case she too succumbed to the images. For a moment, she wondered what did happen to the other Champions as she hadn't heard anything at all since the screams. This was a competition but she hoped that everyone was alright.

"Thank Salazar, we are almost there!" Scorpius declared breathlessly a few moments later.

The shoreline was definitive and in sight. His happiness was short lived as he realized that he was seeing the Durmstrang men climbing onto the shore ahead of them. Scorpius was beyond pissed that, yet again, they seemed to be doing so much better than everyone else. The Beauxbatons women were no where to be seen, so at least the Hogwarts duo weren't dead last again.

"I swear, those jerks are cheating," Rose grumbled unhappily. Her body was numb from the water and yet her muscles burned from the physical exertion, despite being athletic due to Quidditch. Scorpius' eyes widened and he couldn't help but laugh a bit at her uncharacteristic response.

"Now that doesn't seem like you. You seem to believe that everyone is fair and behaves properly," he teased, sputtering a bit as she splashed him in response.

"Shut up Malfoy," she growled, but instead of saying his name out of malice, there was a certain ring of affection to it. Scorpius smiled more but kept dutifully quiet.

Hardly a moment passed when Scorpius noticed that Rose had stopped swimming and looked as though she was struggling, looking alarmed. She twisted in place as though she was searching for something, her wand held above the water and ready to attack. Halting in his swimming, Scorpius gave her a questioning look.

"Rose what's wrong?"

"I don't know. Something… something touched me and tugged on my leg," she answered, continuing to look concerned. Scorpius rolled his eyes at her response.

"Really? Now you want to be a girl and get all squeamish? It's a lake, of course there are going to be things lurking about and being obnoxious," he said with a huff, earning a glare from his red headed companion.

"That's not what it is! You have no right to criticize me when you are apparently seeing faces in the water. Some sympathy would be appreciated," she snapped, feeling triumphant when he immediately became quiet and humbled. Before Scorpius could respond, Rose was pulled out of sight and beneath the water viciously.

"Rose!" he bellowed as felt his heart race with his franticness.

Illuminating his wand and then taking a deep breath, he plunged into the depths of the water in hopes of finding and saving Rose immediately. Thankfully, she had not been pulled too far but he was not prepared for the sight that met him. The Ravenclaw was fighting off the creature to the best of her ability with whatever nonverbal spells that she knew. Grasping her ankle were the shriveled fingers of a corpse. This creature was different from the faces he saw in the water earlier. It looked as though the corpse was just a skeleton with pale leathery skin stretched across it. The black hair that was still attached to its head floated menacingly around its body as its milky white eyes were briefly drawn to Scorpius' light.

Recovering his senses, Scorpius sent a nonverbal stunning spell at the thing, successfully forcing it to release Rose. Not wishing to hang around any longer, the duo headed for the surface just as several more of the corpses came out of the darkness and chased after them. Breaking the surface, the two panted heavily but began swimming as fast as possible to the shoreline which had now become their life line. Despite how fast they were moving, Scorpius now felt something tugging at his leg to which he promptly kicked off and shot a more powerful spell at, now that he was able to speak.

"This is hopeless!" he declared as he was forced to stop only because they were suddenly surrounded by ten of the corpses.

"Scorpius… this is bad… really bad. This isn't even legal… these are Inferi! This is dark magic!" she explained fearfully as she gripped his arm. How in the hell had _this_ been allowed in the tournament? Scorpius felt his heart plummet into the pit of his stomach as he understood the gravity of her statement. This wasn't the tournament, this was an attack.

As the Inferi closed in, somewhere above them a cawing could be heard echoing the surrounding area. Rose looked up and her eyes widened as she saw the giant raven that had helped Scorpius and Alek previously. She still had no idea what it was, but she was thankful that it seemed to be on their side. It swooped down to where the couple were bobbing in the water and dropped something on the nearby Inferi. Whatever it was, caused the corpses to catch fire, despite being partially submerged in water.

Rose was absolutely amazed at the display before her. She had never heard of waterproof fire but she barely had a moment to dwell before Scorpius was blasting nearby Inferi out of the way so that they could continue swimming to the shore line. He tugged her out of her daze and she followed after him, silently thanking the raven that had came to their aid for a second time. She made a mental note to add that to her list of events she needed to further investigate.

Finally, the pair reached the shoreline and exhaustedly pulled themselves up on the land before rolling onto their backs and panting heavily, thoroughly tired. Fog still covered the area they had come from but the forest itself seemed to be incredibly clear and unaffected. Scorpius' chest heaved up and down as he gulped in the fresh, cool air, even as his body began shivering from being wet and cold. It amazed him that they had managed to survive this far.

"What… the… hell… was… that…?" he wheezed as he attempted to speak with great difficulty.

"That… raven… helped you… and Alek… last time…" Rose explained, having her own trouble with speaking and breathing.

"Bet… it's because…you're… a Ravenclaw," Scorpius responded sarcastically with a laugh which was followed by a cough.

"My house's animal… is an eagle… you dolt," Rose countered, laughing a bit herself as her breathing began regulating.

As soon as Rose had been able to sit up, she cast the same Hot-Air charm on herself and her Slytherin companion, drying each other within moments. No longer freezing, she felt better but still incredibly exhausted. They had managed to complete two out of three portions of the second task. The fact that they still had to face something else was incredibly daunting. She considered fighting the chimera again as it might have been easier than what they had endured so far.

"Come on, we should get going. Don't want to be last again," Scorpius declared as he was the first to stand up, fully recovered. Rose groaned as she looked up at him, really not wanting to move or face any more danger. He offered his hand to her, which she begrudgingly took and also stood up with a groan.

"I hate this tournament," she proclaimed with a heavy sigh. "This task feels as though it should count as both the second and third task."

"I couldn't agree more. This makes the third task seem impossible if it just keeps getting worse," Scorpius expressed pessimistically as he looked around.

The shoreline was narrow, appearing like a beach as it was nothing but sand up until it reached the trees and turned to grass. Somewhere within was the final portion of their task. As to what it was, he had no idea, but he was really praying that it wasn't what he feared it might be. With as tired as the two of them were, he didn't think they could handle a life or death battle with some sort of large monster. That seemed cruel but considering that they just fought corpses reanimated by dark magic, at this point nothing would surprise him really.

"Had it not been considered cheating, I would have brought along potions to help with our energy levels," Rose declared as they slowly made their way to the Forbidden Forest.

"I would have done so anyways," Scorpius mumbled as he followed suit. A frown marred his features as he considered something. "Do you think that raven helping us was cheating?"

"No, I'm going to consider that good luck. They have been tracking and watching us the whole time, it can be seen that we didn't summon it," Rose explained.

"Do you think that's _why_ the raven appeared? Because what was attacking us was so illegal and probably not planned?" the blonde mused, earning a shrug from Rose.

"After this task is over, I _will_ be looking into why that happened. It would appear, that we have a dark wizard in our midst. Maybe they were the one who… who poisoned Hugo," she declared softly, her voice breaking as she thought of her poor brother. Someone, somewhere was going to pay dearly for his condition.

"We will catch the bastard, I promise Rose," Scorpius assured her as he reached over to squeeze her hand comfortingly.

Rose offered him a small smile as they stepped into the Forbidden Forest. Despite it being daytime, it was incredibly dark. The trees were rather dense and the canopy of leaves above allowed for very little light to filter through. A few feet to their right looked like a worn dirt path that wove through the heart of the forest. Before now, Rose had never stepped foot in the Forbidden Forest, as there had never been a need to and there was a reason why it was forbidden. Of course, her cousins James and Albus had done so on more than one occasion, usually due to a dare and she was sure that Hugo had tagged along a few times.

"We need to be on guard. There is more that lives in the Forbidden Forest than just whatever it is we are going to face," Scorpius warned after a few moments, causing Rose to look at him curiously.

"And just what is it that you think we are going to face?"

"I hope that I'm wrong but… I have a feeling it's going to be a large monster. Maybe even that three headed dog that we saw in that book. I hope I'm wrong, but you know I never am," he responded, adding a bit of humor to their dire situation. Rose rolled her eyes, a playful smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she lightly shoved him.

"You're such a narcissist," she teased as they carefully stepped along the path. Scorpius shrugged but applied his signature smirk to his lips. Despite being near death, he found himself incredibly at ease with Rose and that was significant to him. It was part of the reason why that vision had affected him so deeply.

For several minutes, the Hogwarts Champions walked in silence, their eyes darting around in preparation for any attack that might come their way. Regardless of the negative connotation of the forest's name, it was rather beautiful. It was dark and at various times they had to light their wands, but there was still something rather enchanting about it. Perhaps it was because of the current moment of peace, but it was something to take solace in when, up until this point in time, so many creatures had tried to kill them.

"You know, I'm getting really tired of not being able to see. First it was the fog, then it was the damned lake, and now it's this hellish forest. I might go permanently blind," Scorpius complained, breaking the silence as they had to, once more, light their wands to continue along the path.

"Aw, poor baby. I have a feeling you're going to be just fine," Rose assured him sarcastically. The Slytherin huffed irritably but drew up short as the ground beneath them began to rumble, forcing the two into each other as they attempted to stabilize their footing.

"What's going on?!" Rose yelped as she lost her balance entirely and fell backwards onto her arse. Immediately, Scorpius helped her up and held her close.

"Your guess is as good as mine," he answered as the rumbling continued for another few moments before finally subsiding. "But I have a feeling we are about to find out."

Somewhere from their left, Alek and Damien came bursting out of the trees. Clearly, they weren't the source of the rumbling and noise, but all four individuals were just as equally shocked to see one another. Rose had just assumed the two had already completed the task and had been transported back to the beginning of the lake. So there was a chance that they could still come in first place. Scorpius must have had the same thought for he gave her a smirk before looking back to the two men.

"How are you two here? You ver both still in the vater ven ve made it here," Damien inquired in astonishment as he looked back and forth between the witch and wizard.

"That is what we call skill," Scorpius responded smugly, earning a glare from both of the men. Alek hadn't forgotten what the blonde prat had done in hopes of gaining the advantage. Their ice bridge had been a set back that was incredibly obnoxious.

"Or cheating," Alek sneered, ignoring Rose's aghast look.

"Hey the same could be said about the two of you!" Rose hissed, glaring especially hard at Alek. She didn't care that he was currently dating her cousin, she would not allow for him to make such wild accusations and question her morals. Alek looked particularly angry that they had managed to get to the Forbidden Forest at the same as them, but he kept whatever thoughts he was thinking to himself.

"Vatever, ve don't have time for you," Damien scoffed as he looked to his partner who agreed.

"Good riddance," Scorpius jeered, more than willing to let them go.

Once again the ground began to rumble, disabling the Durmstrang Champions from going any further than a few steps. Rose held onto Scorpius yet again as they found their footing once more, much faster than the men beside them. Looking around, she still couldn't find the source.

"My guess is that you two have no idea what's going on either," Rose presumed, earning a derisive noise from Alek.

"Vy vud ve tell you?" he growled. "This is a tournament. Ve do not have to help you." Rose rolled her eyes at his attitude.

"You're wasting your breath on them, Rose. They don't know anything otherwise they would be acting on it. Come on, there's no use in running away, we might as well head towards it," Scorpius whispered to Rose, wanting to get the task done and over with. Besides, the anxiety of not knowing what they were facing was starting to make him feel sick.

"Yeah, okay, you're right," she whispered in return and the duo began heading towards whatever it was that was causing trouble.

For several minutes Scorpius and Rose had been able to walk without the ground rumbling or anything else disrupting them. The forest was as quiet and peaceful as before, except the Slytherin had a distinct feeling that someone was either watching or following them; or perhaps a variation of both. While he was more than aware something was watching them for the spectators, he didn't feel as though it was that. Inconspicuously, he looked over his shoulder just in enough time to see a shadow dart out of view. Frowning deeply, he had a feeling he knew what was going on.

"Those bastards are following us. They want us to do all of the work so that they can get by easily. I really hate them," Scorpius growled irritably. Had he not been so exhausted, he would have suggested misleading them but that would have required more effort than he had in him currently.

"They're cowards. Just ignore them. We can best them any day and without resulting to cheap tricks," Rose declared confidently as she continued walking. The Durmstrang men could do their best to try and defeat them but she refused to let it happen. When she and Scorpius were cooperating together, they were a dangerous team.

No sooner had Rose finished speaking, the ground began to shake again. Having been prepared for this, the couple was able to secure their footing rather quickly before continuing further, this time breaking into a slow jog. They didn't want to burn too much energy but they needed to move faster than the were. If they were especially lucky, perhaps they would be able to lose Damien and Alek in the process.

After what felt like an eternity, especially with having to pause to allow the ground to rumble and shake, Rose and Scorpius reached the source of the disruptions. Rather, they had found what was supposed to be housing the problem. Before them was a narrow, but incredibly tall and imposing, temple that looked as though it was constructed of white marble in a Grecian design. There was a triangular arch supported by several decorated columns and upon it was a mural of sorts. From their position, it was difficult to make out what it was exactly but Rose could see that it was several naked, muscular men appearing to be battling something.

"This must have been placed here specifically for the tournament. It's incredibly out of place and I'm pretty sure I would have read about this somewhere at some point," Rose speculated as she rested her hands on her hips.

Beneath the triangular arch was an entryway filled with darkness and whatever they were going to have to battle. Rose and Scorpius exchanged wary looks before withdrawing their wands. Briefly, the blonde checked over his shoulder again to find that the Durmstrang men were no longer attempting to hide themselves. They stood in just as much shock as they had except Damien was the only one who looked genuinely concerned. Alek bore an expression that Rose didn't quite understand. There was almost a peaceful understanding that he possessed that made absolutely no sense to her. Surely he had no better idea than any of them did what lie before them?

" _Lumos,_ " Scorpius muttered quietly as his wand lit itself. He waited for Rose to follow suit before they slowly headed inside the temple.

The moment they stepped foot inside, a large bang resounded behind them, causing them to spin around quickly. A gate had fallen to separate them from the forest and the temple. Beneficially, the Durmstrang men would now have to wait their turn to face whatever it was that was inside and figure out how to defeat it on their own. However, the downside was that now Scorpius and Rose had nowhere to run to if things went south as they typically did. They also found that the light on their wands was pointless as levitating balls of fire began to light themselves against the marble walls. Even with the dim light, it was still unclear as to what they were facing.

Rose found herself breathing heavily as her heart raced in both fear and anticipation. Adrenaline was pumping viciously through her veins and for the moment, her exhaustion disappeared. They would need to be at their absolute best and coordinate with one another if they were going to defeat whatever this creature was. Fighting the chimera the first time was a harsh wake up call on the need for a good partnership. They had done much better when fighting it the second time. Now they had a third time to prove themselves and she would not let them fail.

Scorpius could hear Rose's breathing and while his own was quieter, his heart was still racing, he was sure, as quickly as her own. He would be lying if he said he wasn't scared. No person in their right mind could do what they were doing, confidently, and without knowing what they were up against. While they were indeed seventeen and technically adults, that didn't mean that they didn't have so much more to learn. This damn tournament was stupid as hell and if they managed to survive, he was going to make sure that it was permanently disbanded. Why it was reinstated after twenty years, he had no idea, but he planned on finding out so that it wouldn't happen again. Just because they decided to use two Champions per school instead of one, didn't make it any safer.

Distracted by their thoughts, neither Champion was prepared for the rumbling that ensued a moment later, causing the both of them to slide to the ground. Scorpius fell on his arse while Rose landed on her knees. Peering into the darkness before them, Rose finally saw part of what they were to be battling. Three sets of bright yellow eyes appeared within the darkness, moving in various directions mesmerizingly but nothing else emerged.

" _Lumos Maxima!_ " she yelled as she pointed her wand forwards. The entire temple filled with a bright light and the beast was revealed in its entirety.

The three sets of eyes were set in three separate, yet identical, beastly faces that resembled hounds. Covered from head to paw in black, sleek fur was the purely muscled and sinewy body of Cerberus, the hellhound that guarded the Underworld. Rose wasn't sure if this was specifically Cerberus or just another of its breed as Hagrid's Fluffy had been, but regardless it was massive and terrifying. Each head bore a mouthful of sharp teeth set inside a jaw that could easily crush bone. Two out of three of the heads were salivating as though anticipating the couple as its next meal. Hissing could be heard from behind the beast and Rose discovered that what should have been its tail were three, very angry, venomous snakes. This tournament was going to instill a permanent fear of serpents in the red-head.

"Sometimes… I really hate when I'm right…" Scorpius declared worriedly, never taking his eyes off of the beast before him. How in the hell were they supposed to take that thing down? It was only two of them against three heads and three snakes. The hellhound took up the entire back space of the temple with one of its paws being twice the size of himself.

While the beast didn't move towards them, it began jumping in place, causing the ground to shake yet again. Thankfully, the duo was already in a sitting position on the floor so they weren't disoriented but now they discovered what exactly had been causing the earthly disruptions. The beast was so massive that it had been affecting the ground several hundred feet away from the temple.

"We… are so fucked…" Rose swore, unable to stop herself. She couldn't see a way out and it terrified her to the core of her being. At this point, she was just waiting for it to charge towards them and end their lives.

Scorpius would have normally found himself either stunned or amused by Rose's language but quite frankly he was too scared to even think properly. Yes, the great Scorpius Malfoy had no shame in admitting that the three headed hellhound scared the shite out of him. He bore the same expression as Rose and surely was thinking the same thing. There was no way they could take this thing out, even if they were both at full mental and physical capacity. This was an incredibly cruel and unfair tournament and he wondered if it was even meant to be won.

Rose and Scorpius waited with bated breath for the creature to come after them but that moment never came. After several minutes, they finally tore their gaze away from the beast to look at each other questioningly. Why wasn't it attacking them? It was clear that it wanted to at least, if nothing else, eat them. Taking several deep, calming breaths, Rose shakily stood up and took a few steps forward. Yes, she was terrified but she would not greet death by cowering.

"Rose! What the hell are you doing?!" Scorpius yelled, instantly jumping to his feet to rush to her side. Forgetting his fear, he would not allow her to face the hellhound alone.

"There's something we're not seeing. If it wanted to attack us, it would have. I don't… I don't think it can," she conjectured.

"That would make no sense. What in the hell are we supposed to do then?" he inquired with a frown before he gasped sharply. Having been too terrified to look passed it before, Scorpius now noticed that there was a simple alter erected behind the beast with three small, silver glowing trophies placed upon it. "There's the portkeys! If we can get passed this damn thing, we can be sent back to the beginning and finish this task!"

Rose looked to where he was indicating and gasped as well. Sure enough, they were so close to victory and it had the adrenaline pumping through her body even more. If they could devise a plan to move around the hell hound without being maimed, they would not only be safe they would be in first place. The beast took up the entire space so it would have to willingly step aside or they were going to have to slide beneath it. There wasn't enough space on either side of it between its body and the walls of the temple.

"Scorpius, we have to make it between its legs. That's the only opening," she declared as she began looking around for anything to help them. The entire temple was bare except for the balls of fire that hung in mid air that provided them light. When Rose stepped forward, the rest of the temple had been lit.

"And how in the hell are we going to do that?" he asked disbelievingly as he gauged the distance between them and the beast and then the space beneath the beast. The hellhound was rather long and they would have to hope that it didn't simply decide to lay down and crush them.

"I'm trying to figure that out. Hagrid said that with Fluffy, all he had to do was play it some music and it went right to sleep. If we can get this thing to fall asleep, we can climb on top of it and over so that we can reach a portkey. Unfortunately, I don't have anything musical on me and there is absolutely nothing in this temple that I can transfigure into an instrument," she growled with frustration as she realized how incredibly stuck they were. They were trapped in a solid temple with a three headed hell hound with nothing more than their wands.

"Alright, that being said, why do you think it's still not attacking us?" Scorpius asked again as he looked back to the hound yet again.

"I need to get closer, again, I think we are missing something," she answered as she did indeed begin moving slowly forward, her Slytherin dutifully at her side. It warmed her terrified heart that he was being so protective over her. The old Scorpius would have allowed her to figured everything out first and possibly get injured just so that he could ensure his own safety. Really, the two of them had come a very long way.

"Just… stay away from it's jaws… all of them," he warned as he continued to walk with her. Rose had a point, unfortunately. The hound wasn't attacking them when it easily could, especially because the temple wasn't very large. They didn't have very far that they could run.

Arriving at a satisfactory distance, Rose took her time in examining the beast before her. This time, she didn't allow fear to take over as her brain went to work into perceiving what was in front of them. There was still light within the temple but it wasn't bright enough. Again, she lit her wand with a powerful light, causing the hellhound to shut its eyes and growl in irritation. It began jumping again and rocking the floors of the temple. Rose and Scorpius steadied themselves until it stopped being pissed off.

"Try not to provoke the damn thing," Scorpius grumbled as he kept a wary eye on each of the heads, his gaze flickering to each one in turn.

"Ah-ha! I figured it out! Well… sort of," Rose said excitedly as she pointed her wand at the hound.

Scorpius was beyond confused but tried to follow where she was pointing. After a moment, he saw what Rose had discovered. The light of her wand was reflecting off of something metallic and shiny that was wrapped around each of the necks of the heads. It appeared to be a collar of sorts that had chains connected to it that latched onto the wall behind the beast, right above the alter with the portkeys. For some reason, the beast was restricted and unable to move. He wasn't sure if it was for their benefit or not. Even with restricted movement, the jaws of the beast were terrifying enough.

"Okay… so the damn thing is chained up… why?" Scorpius asked with an exhausted sigh. "None of this makes any fucking sense. We are so close… I just want to end this."

Despite the scenario, Rose reached over to gently rub Scorpius' back soothingly. They were both at their wits end and utterly exhausted. To find out that they were so close to being finished was distracting and torturous. Leaning into her touch a bit, Scorpius attempted to find a moment of peace as they considered their options. There wasn't much that they could do except try to knock the beast out but he had a feeling that would be a lot harder than with the chimera. The duo halted suddenly as a deep voice resounded within their minds.

" _Answers three you must provide, fail to succeed and there will be nowhere to hide,_ " the voice declared, causing Rose to look around frantically. Seeing as how Scorpius was doing the same, she knew that she was not losing her mind.

"Who said that? Show yourself!" she demanded as he gripped her wand tightly.

" _Eyes that do not see, are not the key to being free,_ " it continued mockingly. The beast before them began making a snickering type noise and Rose widened her eyes at the same time Scorpius spoke.

"It's that damn thing! It's speaking in our minds! I _really_ don't like this," he groaned. Being a very well practiced Occlumens, it was disturbing to have anything intruding his mind.

"I'd rather it be talking to us in our heads instead of eating us," Rose mumbled before taking a deep breath. "So, we have to give three answers. Answers to what?" Her gaze locked onto that of the middle hound's face expectantly. Suddenly, all of the heads looked rather calm, their mouths closed and no longer snarling with hunger.

" _The test you seek, are tricky words to remove the weak,_ " the hellhound responded simply.

"Since when can the guardian of the Underworld speak and so damned cryptically? I feel like it should be a sphinx," Scorpius complained as he rubbed his temples.

"I have a feeling that it is very similar to a sphinx. I'll bet it wants us to answer riddles," Rose mused and received a very subtle bow of the middle head.

" _Your fate is decided by one, choose wisely or face termination._ "

"Well that's just shite! Why have two Champions if only one of us gets to answer?" Scorpius snarled. "Is it one person per question or one person for all questions? Do we get to hear the question first?" Before Rose could stop him, Scorpius was firing off question after question at the beast but they were all valid. It was the calmness of the hound that had the Ravenclaw feeling nervous.

" _First a choice will be made, then the question shall be verbally displayed,_ " it answered, looking at Scorpius expectantly. The Slytherin looked even more frustrated than before. He opened his mouth to complain but Rose cut him off.

"It looks like we choose who gets to answer and then we hear the riddle. So it can be someone different each time. Who do you want to go first?" she asked as she gently placed a hand on his arm, silently asking him to calm down. It seemed to work as he took a deep breath and ran a hand through his tousled blonde hair.

"You're the Ravenclaw, you can go first," he answered. Sure, his intelligence rivaled hers but she held first place in highest marks in their class, but he was a close second.

"Alright, you can get the next one then," she said with a smile, trying to feel confident as she moved closer so that she was standing directly in front of the middle head. Below her feet was a panel with the symbol of Hades that had been marked on their coin. "I'm ready."

It was the head on the left that turned to direct its gaze on Rose. For a moment, she felt her heart stop as its yellow eyes never left her own. She was terrified that she was about to be hypnotized but she recalled that every time that seemed to happy, the eyes of the attacker were always a strange, glowing blue. This didn't stop her heart from racing, however, as the hound seemed to consider its questions before speaking into her mind.

" _Who makes it, but has no need for it?  
Who buys it, but has no need for it?  
Who uses it but can neither see nor feel it?  
What am I?"_

Rose bit her lower lip in concentration. She looked to Scorpius, wondering if he had heard what she did or if she had been spoken to specifically. Judging from the look on his face, which was also that of deep consideration, she knew that he heard as well. It was maddening to think that they both had heard the riddle but couldn't communicate with each other. Breathing deeply, Rose closed her eyes as she allowed the words to float around her mind for a few moments before the answer came to her. It was much simpler than she thought.

"A coffin," she replied simply, smiling at Scorpius' look of surprise which was then followed by his signature smirk. They both looked to the hound whom bowed his head low to indicate she was correct. Rose let out a slow breath, having been nervous regardless.

"I'll take the next one," Scorpius said with a bright smile as he winked at his partner. He was sure they could get through this. With both of them being as intelligent as they were, this was going to be a cake walk. It was the head on the right that turned to speak to Scorpius.

" _What occurs once in every minute, twice in every moment, yet never in a thousand years?_ "

"The letter 'm'," Scorpius answered within seconds, finding the question to be incredibly easy.

Gaining a bow of approval, the Slytherin's smirk widened. They had this in the bag. Rose was absolutely brilliant and the questions seemed to be getting easier. There was nothing they had to worry about. He moved from his spot so that Rose could take it and he lightly squeezed her shoulder. After she answered this question correctly, they would be able to take the portkey back to the beginning and actually win the task both alive and in first place. Rose offered Scorpius another smile as she moved to his now vacant spot, with him standing behind her. Finally, it was the middle and main head that spoke to her.

" _What two words, when combined, hold the most letters?"_

Rose gave great pause at this. What were the two longest words in the dictionary? She knew that she knew this and they were insanely long. The answer had to be the two of them combined as that would surely possess the most letters. She was aware that the first longest word held forty-five letters while the second held thirty. If she was correct, they were both medical terms. Before she had begun her time at Hogwarts, she had visited the wizarding and muggle library more times than she could count and had read just about everything in there, including medical books. While most of the muggle diseases did not appear in the wizarding world, she still found it to be fascinating with what muggles could contract and their methods of treatment. There were several operations that she felt the wizarding world could benefit from.

"Rose?" Scorpius called out gently, worried that they were on a time limit of sorts. He had figured out the answer already but she seemed to be deep in thought and it concerned him. Rose took another breath before she gave her answers.

"They're medical terms. 'Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis' and 'Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism. Combined these most certainly posses the most letters," she answered.

"No! Rose it was a trick question! The answer is 'a Post Office'!" Scorpius exclaimed just as the hound began  
shaking its head menacingly. While the Slytherin was impressed with his companion's answer, it was definitely overthought. The two of them were beyond exhausted but even still she had been able to spew two highly complicated words that he wasn't even sure of what they were nor what they meant.

"Wh-What?" she stuttered, realizing her mistake finally.

The hound had been luring them into a false sense of security with the easy, straight forward riddles only to trip her up on a trick question. She was cursing herself silently as she realized that she somehow doomed them, maybe even killed them with her idiocy. Before she could even begin to apologize, the panel beneath their feet opened up and they plunged down into darkness.

Rose wasn't sure how long they had fallen but they landed on something that cushioned their landing. Once more she swore silently for having not thought to use a cushioning spell just in case something worse had been waiting for them. Granted, Scorpius could have done the same or maybe he had and she didn't hear him because she was so lost in her misery. Just as she was about to inquire, she felt whatever they were sitting on begin to slither and move, wrapping itself around them.

"I swear to Merlin if those are snakes I am going to scream!" Rose screeched, having seriously had enough of the damn serpentine reptiles.

" _Lumos!_ " Scorpius called out, lighting his wand. Following the bright light, he felt whatever they had fallen on begin to wriggle and writhe, but moving away from them. It was then that he realized what it was and so did Rose.

"Oh… it's Devil's Snare. The seems rather juvenile," Rose said pathetically as she stood up and dusted herself off.

They were in a corridor of sorts with nothing but darkness before them. She wasn't sure what else was in store for them but she knew that it couldn't be good because she had failed the riddle. They had been so close to ending and winning the second task. Yet here they were, more than likely off to face more danger because of her stupidity. She was the Ravenclaw, after all. Just to get into her common room she had to solve riddles. To be so easily tripped up was mortifying. Before she could stop herself, hot, frustrated tears slid down her cheeks.

"Scorpius… I am so sorry. I have no idea why I went so literal. I have no excuse. Exhaustion or not, there was no reason for that," she whimpered, feeling miserable and pathetic.

"Hey, look, we're going to be okay. What matters is that we are alive and we will get out of this, I promise," Scorpius assured her as he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. He didn't give a damn who saw them. Rose was falling apart and that was not something that either of them needed. His embrace tightened as he felt her wrap her arms around him in response and squeeze.

"I just want this to be over. I am so tired…" Rose whispered as she slowly felt herself calming down. Scorpius had that sort of effect on her when he wasn't making her crazy. The Slytherin gently cupped her face as they slowly broke apart and gently wiped away her tears with his thumbs.

"It's going to be over. There can't be much more we have to endure. This is right below the temple. Surely all we have to do is find a way back up and maybe we will end up right by the portkeys," he suggested positively, earning a light laugh from Rose.

"I feel like the roles are reversed. Normally you're the cynical one and I'm the one trying to be positive, but you're right. We can't afford for me to break down right now. Plenty of time for that later," she said with another laugh as she turned her head to kiss his palm, thrilled that he didn't pull a way immediately.

"Exactly," he teased as he released her entirely, his hand tingling from her lips.

Taking a deep breath, Rose looked around and saw nothing but darkness. Lighting her wand as well, she noticed that they were in a narrow corridor just wide enough for the two of them to walk side by side with a ceiling just a few feet above them. It was a good thing she didn't have claustrophobia or they would be in even more trouble. Shrugging a bit, she began walking forwards with Scorpius close at her side.

"The good thing is that it looks like the only direction we can go is forward. Hopefully there's not a maze or something but I can't imagine that failing the riddles goes unpunished. So we need to be prepared for everything and anything," Rose said gently as they moved.

"Well whatever it is needs to just show up. I'm exhausted and there is a very hot shower calling my name," Scorpius declared before actually yawning.

Both of their adrenaline rushes had subsided only to be replaced with the rapid beating of their hearts. They weren't sure of what they were going to encounter but there was a certain peace to be found walking in the darkness with just the light of their wands. It was quiet, for now, which was a reprieve of sorts, however unorthodox. Unfortunately, it allowed both of their bodies to feel the full weight of their tiredness.

"Does it feel suddenly cold to you?" Rose asked as she wrapped an arm around herself so that she could keep her wanted pointed forward. Within the glow of the light, she could see her breath coming out in warm puffs.

"It… does… which can't be good. I haven't felt us ascend or descend while walking so there shouldn't be an altitude change," he mused before shivering harshly, his own breath coming out in puffs.

Scorpius stopped suddenly, hearing a hollow, raspy noise that almost sounded like a being drawing in a breath. Before he knew it, his body was even colder than before and it felt as though something was tugging at his very soul. Not that he had a lot at the moment, but suddenly he felt whatever happiness and hope he had been experiencing, siphoning from his body. Replacing it, was the empty, cold feeling of nothingness, as though he would never be happy again. The Slytherin found himself rooted to the spot, his wand falling from his hand and clamoring to the floor, extinguishing his light.

"Scorpius!" Rose exclaimed, feeling the same coldness and unhappiness washing over her but she had recognized it for what it was.

Extending the light of her wand, she was not surprised to find that floating before them, was a Dementor. For a brief second, she contemplated the legality of having one of the guards of Azkaban being allowed in the tournament but she realized how pointless of a thought that was considering what they had endured so far. She took a breath as she knew what spell had to be cast in order to ward the creature off.

The problem was, it was an incredibly difficult spell that not many had been able to effectively produce even as full witch or wizard. Her uncle Harry performed the spell at an incredibly young age but even her mother had a difficult time mastering it when she was just a few years younger than Rose currently was. Sure, Rose had attempted the spell more than once but she had never been able to succeed. She had plenty of happy memories to fuel her but she hadn't been able to do it. Since she had heard of the spell, obviously, she had been incredibly curious to find what form her Patronus would take. Having been disappointed so many times, she had refrained from attempting the spell for well over a year, something she was drastically regretting.

Rose knew that she had to try. Scorpius had already been affected deeply by the waters earlier in the task, it was no surprise that he was more susceptible to the Dementor now. She wasn't even sure if he could pull off the Patronus charm either. Taking a deep breath yet again, she aimed her wand at the Dementor, even as it continued to try and drain her happiness. She had stepped in front of Scorpius so that it could no longer move any closer to him. The last thing either one of them needed was the Dementor to perform its "Kiss" on the Slytherin. Though, Rose hoped someone from the tournament representatives would have interjected if that was to happen. Having little faith in them, however, she prepared herself.

" _Expecto Patronum!_ " she yelled, watching as thin, silver wisp flowed out from the tip of her wand but it did little more than hover there before dissipating. It hadn't even taken a form. Rose did her best to not allow her disappointment and fear to overwhelm her. She was also battling the despair and sadness that was threatening to take over because of the Dementor itself. The creature moved closer to her and she felt the air turn impossibly cold.

" _E-Expecto P-Patronum!_ " she yelled once more, her teeth chattering from the cold. Yet again, a form refused to take and the silvery cloud disappeared again. She needed an incredibly happy memory, something that would definitely give her Patronus form. Her body felt heavy from the pressure of the situation and the ever pressing depression. What made her happy? Closing her eyes tightly, she tried to think.

Various flashes of memories danced in her mind as she tried to grab hold of the perfect one and quickly. There was all the time she spent with her family, being a witch and attending Hogwarts, her classes, spending time with Albus, being made a prefect and Head Girl. These were all things that made her happy but nothing absolutely outstanding stuck out until she recalled the dance at the Yule Ball. The recollection of that night and dancing with Scorpius as she did, already had her smiling and filled to the brim with warmth and happiness. It truly had been the best night of her life as the two of them had danced while the world disappeared around them. That dance had also been Scorpius' first public display of…whatever they were. She had felt pure bliss.

Keeping this memory in mind, she gripped her wand tightly and opened her eyes to stared defiantly and confidently at the Dementor. There was no doubt in her mind that she would create her Patronus this time. Her memory was powerful and she had never felt more certain of herself than she did now. Once more, she aimed her wand at the Dementor, which had now floated to a few feet in front of her.

" _Expecto Patronum!_ " she bellowed, this time the silvery wisp protruding from her wand, finally taking form and launching itself at the Dementor.

Slithering in its silvery glory was the form of a cobra. Rose could not have been more shocked at the Patronus. The form of a Patronus was supposed to reflect what the caster deeply connected with. By the time she was finished with this tournament, she was convinced that she was going to have a fear of snakes. Why would her Patronus take on this form? Serpents were seen as an omen of evil in their world as nothing good seemed to come from them. They were the emblem for Slytherin which had seen more evil wizards than good, especially Voldemort. Anyone who could speak Parseltongue was said to be a Dark Wizard and a descendent of Salazar Slytherin himself. She wasn't sure if she was more worried than proud of what she had produced.

The only snake in her life that seemed to hold any positive significance was Scorpius and only a few months before that had not been true. He had been the definition of a Slytherin and Malfoy, causing her as much pain and heartache as possible. It had also been said that Patronuses could sometimes change to compliment the caster's significant other as their happy memories would often be that of their love. Could that have anything to do with her Patronus' form?

Realizing she had given her current predicament too much thought, she had barely noticed that the cobra had collided with the Dementor and sent it back and away from her and Scorpius. As soon as the wraith like creature was a good distance away from them, Scorpius seemed to snap out of his daze and shake his head. He shivered severely before his eyes widened.

"Did you just… was that…" Before he could form a coherent sentence, Rose was grabbing his hand, retrieving his wand, and tugging him along the corridor, sliding passed the temporarily disabled Dementor.

"I'll explain later!" she cried as they ran. Taking possession of that happy memory once more and letting it fill her, she cast another Patronus to act as their guard as it slithered behind them as they continued forward.

"Is your damned Patronus a freaking snake?!" Scorpius yelled as they continued their hopeful escape. He couldn't have been more impressed with Rose had he tried. That was not a spell that just anyone could cast and, honestly, neither could he. He had no idea what his Patronus was and he found that he was incredibly jealous that she had been able to discover hers. Hell, for all he knew, she had already known how to cast the spell. After this, he was going to make sure that he discovered what his was.

"Apparently! I don't want to talk about it really!" Rose exclaimed breathlessly. It didn't appear as though the Dementor had followed them but they were running blindly before Scorpius finally lit his wand. Once the two of them were completely winded, they paused to take a breather.

"Wh-why not? Wh-what's so bad… about snakes?" Scorpius panted as he bent over, resting his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Rose glared at him as she leaned against the wall.

"You… know… what snakes… represent…" she mumbled as she took could barely breath.

"Not all snakes… are bad…" he whispered, barely audible above the sounds of his gasping. Rose gave pause as she realized her implications.

"No… they're really not," she said after a moment, offering him a warm smile. Scorpius had changed a lot, though he did still have his moments, and she did love him. Hopefully this was a good omen and not something that would cause her heartache in the end.

"I think… it suits you. You're very deadly and precise. That brain of yours is a dangerous weapon," Scorpius complimented as he found his heart melt at her smile. To think that she was now happy about something that would in some way associate herself to him, was almost overwhelming. He didn't deserve her affections but he was glad that he had them.

"Thanks," Rose said simply, though she took his compliment to heart and her smile never left her lips.

After a moment, the couple had regained their breaths and lit their wands to move forward yet again. Instead of being met with an endless corridor, instead there was a simple steel spiral staircase that stretched upwards into an opening in the ceiling. Rose looked to Scorpius with an astonished but hopeful smile. If they were lucky, this would lead to exactly where Scorpius had described earlier. Without a moment to waste, Rose bolted over to the staircase but was stopped by Scorpius. He insisted on going first in case there was anything dangerous. She wasn't sure if she was offended by his assumption she couldn't handle herself, despite what she had done, or flattered.

Regardless, she allowed him to go first but followed close behind. Having been able to produce a Patronus and save the both of them, she felt as though she had redeemed herself from the blunder of having failed the last riddle. The ascent to the next floor was short and the duo found themselves in a small, dimly lit room with a door at the end of it. Cautiously, they proceeded to the door and checked it for traps or anything that could potentially harm them. Finding nothing, Scorpius opened the door and exhaled deeply in pure relief. The door had led to the other side of where the alter had been erected that held the portkeys.

From their vantage point, they could see that there were two trophies on the table. Rose felt pained at knowing that the Durmstrang men had succeeded and thus were already back at the beginning, claiming first place. However, seeing as how there were still two trophies, that meant the Beauxbatons women had not reached the temple yet. Scorpius and herself could still secure second place. She couldn't see the hellhound as the temple must have been flooded with darkness again but she didn't care.

"Ready to end this?" Scorpius asked with a smile as he took her hand and headed over to the table.

"More than you could possibly know," Rose replied.

Giving him a final look, she reached out and touched the trophy. Sure enough, she felt a pulling feeling that tugged at the center of her stomach as the two of them were transported away from the temple, landing right on the docks that they had begun the task on. Due to sheer exhaustion, they landed rather unceremoniously and practically on top of each other. Landing from a portkey transport required finesse that neither one of them possessed in their current state.

Cheering erupted around the Hogwarts Champions as they slowly helped one another to their feet. The representative announced them as having taken second place in the second task but the final marks would not be released until the following day. This task had been much longer than the first and required a lot more judging. Besides, while the Beauxbatons Champions would be taking third place, they had not returned yet. That was more than fine for Rose as all she wanted to do was sleep for several days.

Turning her eyes to the stands, she spotted both her family and Scorpius'. They both looked incredibly relieved and happy. Teddy was the most exuberant as he had one hand on Draco's shoulder and the other on Ron's and was shaking the two happily. Both men looked rather uncomfortable as they looked at one another but upon seeing their children, they at least smiled.

"Looks like there's hope yet," Scorpius said gently as he followed Rose's gaze before smiling directly at her.

"Yes, I told you they would behave," she declared happily as she returned her gaze to Scorpius.

They had worked much better together during this task, despite their setbacks and moments of vulnerability. Despite what had happened, they had supported one another like proper partners were supposed to. As Scorpius's gaze left that of his fathers and then stayed upon Rose's beautiful face, he could not forget the words of the vision that the water had given him. The disappointment of his family had been painful and nearly unbearable, but it was Rose's hatred towards him that broke him. That was not something he ever wanted to see or feel again. He was surprised to find that she was the one who mattered most to him. It was her opinion of him that was the most significant. If he continued as he was, hiding constantly, he knew that he was going to lose her eventually. Someone would come along and make her happier and not be afraid to show it. Making up his mind and acting before he could stop himself, he pulled the red-head close to him and cupped her cheeks in his hands.

"S-Scorpius, what are you doing?" Rose asked in great surprise, her eyes widening before they darted around. He was aware that everyone could see him right? What he was doing was overly affectionate and he had been careful to be very minimal about that during the task. There was an odd, soft look in his eyes.

"Something I should have done a long time ago," he whispered before he leaned in and stole her lips in a passionate kiss for the world to see.

Rose felt her whole body warm and melt into his embrace as she wrapped her arms around him in return, immediately kissing him back. What he was doing… it meant the entire world to her. Publicly he was claiming her and making their relationship official all at the same time. Tears of pure happiness, mixed with relief and exhaustion, slid down her cheeks. This memory would rival that of them dancing together. Right now, she felt as though she could produce ten thousand Patronuses.

There was a brief moment of silence as the crowd was stunned by what was happening. Everyone knew the Malfoys, the Weasleys, and the Potters. The feud was also very well known to everyone in the school and to most of society. To see two members of the two very different families engaged so intimately was shocking. It was also, apparently, much more interesting than the current tournament. Teddy was the first to break the tense silence as he began obnoxiously cheering and clapping, even throwing in a few whistles. It wasn't long before the rest of the crowd followed suit.

Feeling her cheeks explode with heat, Rose broke away from the kiss slowly and wiped away her tears. Teddy was a goofball but she was thankful for him so very much, especially in this moment. She laughed a bit nervously as she knew that she would have a lot to answer for where her family was concerned. While her entire family seemed shocked at first, there was a knowing smile on all of their faces except her father. He looked completely dumbstruck and didn't snap out of his daze until her mother lightly smacked his chest. Noticing his daughter's gaze, he smiled a bit awkwardly.

Scorpius couldn't keep the smile from his face at Rose's reaction. She was absolutely precious to him and as he turned his gaze to gauge his family's reaction, he was absolutely stunned at what he saw. His mother was in absolute bliss, her own tears of happiness falling as she grasped his father's arm tightly. Her reaction didn't surprise him but it was his father. His father was smiling gently, pride glowing on his face. Scorpius didn't quite understand but he was just relieved that he wasn't disappointed. For once, it felt as though he had made the right choice and he was incredibly happy.

"Scorpius, are you sure about this?" Rose whispered, a bit of fear tinting her voice. She wondered if this might have been some exhaustion induced day dream and none of it was real. Maybe Scorpius would change his mind. He was just as tired as she was.

"Yes, of course I am. I'm sorry it took me so long to stop being an idiot," he answered with a grin as he wrapped an arm around her waist to look towards the crowd, waving briefly with his free hand. Rose couldn't help but laugh a bit as she followed his actions.

"You're always going to be an idiot, but I still love you," she teased, unable to stop smiling. Scorpius tore his gaze away for just a moment to meet hers.

"I love you too."


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

 **A/N: Oh my goodness graciousness! I cannot even begin to express how sorry I am that it has taken me nearly a year to update this chapter. Again, I promise that the story is not dead! Unfortunately, shortly after I updated the last chapter I was in another terrible car accident and had to have shoulder surgery. It's been a long recovery. Hopefully, knock on wood, it will not take me so long to update again. Thank you so much to those of you whom have stuck around. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Please read and review!**

 **Beneath the Venom**

 **~*Chapter 23*~**

"So… just how long has this been going on?" Ron inquired in a strained voice as he gazed at his daughter and the youngest Malfoy.

Shortly after Scorpius' public demonstration of his affections for Rose, the Beauxbatons women had popped back onto the dock, signaling the end of the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. The stands vacated immediately and the Hogwarts Champions were ushered away with the rest of the Champions to be looked over in the Hospital Wing by Madame Rosaline.

Currently, the infirmary was flooded with Rose and Scorpius' entire family, effectively taking up the back corner of the room. Madame Rosaline was flitting about each of the Champions, checking their vitals and mending any and all injuries that had been sustained. As Rose looked around, she could see that everyone was incredibly exhausted. Adrenaline was pumping fiercely through her veins, having found her second wind when Scorpius claimed her as his for the world to see. Antoinette and Marie looked absolutely exhausted, saying very little to their headmaster and classmates as they were looked over. Even the Durmstrang males were looking worse for wear.

It was no surprise to Rose that she discovered Lily at Alek's side, looking worried. What the Ravenclaw did find shocking was the male's complete and utter lack of attention to her cousin. Despite having come in first for the second task, the light haired male seemed to be seething over something, causing Lily to look absolutely distraught. Eventually, she gave up whatever efforts she was putting forth to cheer him up and meandered back over to her family's side of the wing. Rose didn't like seeing her cousin so upset and she made a mental note to inquire what happened when she could get a moment alone with her.

Scorpius sat on the same bed as Rose as the nurse looked them over. After having hid how he felt for the red head for so long, he no longer wanted to be away from her. Her hand was held within his own as they both met the interrogative gaze of their families. It had been her father that had finally spoken first, but the fact that he wasn't yelling was surprising. Recalling the last meeting with the man, he wasn't known for having an even temper.

"Um… well…" Rose started as she looked to Scorpius for help. She wasn't really sure how long they had been… well whatever it was that they had been before now.

Frowning slightly, Scorpius wasn't really sure how to answer the question either. If he answered incorrectly, he was sure that Rose's father would start yelling at him. After all, if the man thought for one moment that Rose had been used prior to their being together, he was sure that it would not end well for him in the slightest. He didn't feel as though he had been using Rose, but he had been taking advantage of her affections without giving her anything in return. It had not been a secret as to what she had wanted from him and yet, she had stuck by him and given him her loyalty and adoration when he surely did not deserve it.

"Oh Ronald, stop it. What matters is that they are together and they are seemingly happy," Hermione declared, lightly squeezing her husband's shoulder as she looked to the new couple. Rose was thankful that her mother had stepped in and saved them.

"Trust me, it's just easier this way. Those two are complicated," Albus piped up, shaking his head disdainfully. Rose was about to counter when she saw that he had a smile on his face. She was thankful for his acceptance even if it was begrudgingly.

"You knew about this, Al?" Ron gasped, having a hard time coming to terms with the current situation. Both his son and his nephews had been just as adamant as himself in regards to hating the Malfoys.

"Yeah well… can't believe I'm going to say this but… Scorpius isn't that bad of a guy," he admitted, looking just as awkward at his admittance as his uncle did. Even the Slytherin himself gave him an odd look, arching a finely manicured brow.

"Are you sure we didn't die at some point in the task?" Scorpius whispered as he leaned towards Rose, earning a soft smile from the red head as she patted his leg with her free hand. Never in a thousand years would he have ever thought that he would hear Potter commend him in any manner. He wasn't sure he even liked the idea as it made him feel rather uneasy.

"You will have to forgive them. It's an adjustment," she explained. So far no one had started screaming or hitting each other so she considered the moment as going quite well considering.

"Ron, perhaps now is the time to consider bygones to be bygones," Harry suggested, tucking his hands into his pockets as his gaze slid over to the silent Malfoy family. After what had happened with Albus nearly killing the youngest Malfoy, he had promised Ginny that he would make better efforts to eradicate the family feud.

Ron struggled as he looked to his best mate. It was unnerving that everyone's attention seemed to be on him but he knew that it was to be expected. He wasn't exactly known for behaving rationally but he felt as though he was doing a pretty damn good job considering. Rosie was incredibly intelligent and self-sufficient and he knew that he should trust her judgement but she was still young and he was her father. Draco had been a hell upon his, Hermione, and Harry's life, which was not something easily forgotten. Having witnessed Scorpius' behavior before the first task, he wasn't exactly keen on leaving his only daughter in the youngest Malfoy's hands. It was too obvious that both Draco and Lucius had a massive impact on the Slytherin.

"Mr. Weasley… I know this is hard to grasp… I can barely believe it myself… but I really do care about Rose," Scorpius began, feeling the need to speak up. It was obvious that Rose's father was having a hard time believing that he would be good for his daughter. Hell, Scorpius wasn't even convinced that he was good for her, but he wanted her and she wanted him. It would be cruel of him to deny himself or her any longer. "I also owe you an apology."

Unable to hide the apparent shock from his face, Ron's jaw fell open as he stared at the boy before him. He wasn't even aware that Malfoys even understood the concept of being apologetic or owning their mistakes. To hear Scorpius declare that he needed to apologize was nothing short of mind boggling.

"Uh… for what exactly?" the older Weasley inquired, wondering if he truly wanted to know the depth of occurrences the young Slytherin could possibly be sorry for. He was sure there were a lot of things that Rose didn't tell her mother or himself especially.

Now having the spotlight directed on himself, Scorpius found himself feeling nervous as he lightly ran his thumb across Rose's hand, gathering his words. There was a lot he was sorry for but admitting all of that in front of everyone wasn't what he had in mind. However, there was a specific event that he knew that he owed both of her parents, as well as herself, his sincerest apologies.

"For the night before the first task. I was completely out of line and… I know this is delayed but… I wanted you to know that I'm sorry… and I don't think those things about Rose," he said softly, his gaze moving from Rose's parents to his beloved red head before looking off, his cheeks burning.

"Are we sure this is Scorpius Malfoy?" Al inquired, trying to clear some of the awkwardness that was in the room. Witnessing a sincere, apologetic Malfoy was far too much for his brain to comprehend. The Slytherin shot him a glare and he couldn't help but smirk. That was more like it.

"Shut it, Potter," he growled, grumbling incoherently. His mood, however, changed when he felt Rose place a kiss to his cheek. He gave her a questioning look, wondering what he did to warrant the small public display of affection.

"That was very sweet of you. Thank you," she responded gently, squeezing his hand comfortingly. The warm smile he gave her in response caused her heart to melt. Having an open Scorpius was far more amazing than she could have ever hoped it would be. She met his smile with one of her own.

Scorpius was silently cursing himself for having waited as long as he did to come clean about his feelings for Rose and their relationship. The way she looked at him with such sincerity and adoration was far greater than his reputation. She made him feel as though he was her entire world and a good part of him felt that he did not deserve that title. The other part of him wanted to make sure that he lived up to her expectations. He vowed that he would never fail her ever again. Malfoys were incredibly loyal whether it be to their name, ambitions, or significant others. It was why he refused to date because he wasn't ready to form that commitment with anyone yet. Rose had changed his entire world.

Having realized that both of his parents had remained silent, the Slytherin nervously turned his gaze on them. He wasn't sure if their silence was good or bad. Recalling his father's conversation with Rose in the Hospital Wing, he wondered if the older Malfoy had expected something like this to happen. His mother had never explicitly told him that he couldn't associate with a Weasley, unlike his grandfather. He hoped his parents were on his side because he knew that it was going to be a fight when it came to his grandfather.

"Father…" Scorpius called out in a small voice, hating that he lost his composure and was reduced to nothing more than a small boy in regards to his father.

Realizing how potentially private the moment was, Ginny ushered her husband and children out of the wing. Immediately, Albus began to protest but surprisingly Lily remained quiet, not even putting up a fight. Rose found this to be increasingly concerning and assumed that it was because of Alek's behavior. Al was complaining that he hadn't been allowed to see his cousin for all that long to which his complaints fell on deaf ears. Rose had a feeling the real reason why he didn't want to leave was because he wanted to see how Scorpius' family would react to everything. She wondered if her cousin had a guilty pleasure for drama. Her parents remained in the event that they needed to defend their daughter.

Draco turned his attention towards his son, having been silently observing the entire scene and mulling everything over. Since his conversation in the wing with the female Weasley, he had an inkling that the woman had fancied his son. The idea hadn't bothered him nearly as much as he believed it would. His son, much like himself, didn't have any true friends and it had been his hope that Rose would be there for Scorpius. Unfortunately, his son seemed to have the same tendencies as himself in regards to his female companions. He had refused to have any solid relationships and treated the woman who had caught his fancy less than ideally.

More than aware of his own father's influence, Draco felt ashamed that he had not done more to break Lucius' hold over his son. Astoria, thankfully, held a close relationship with Scorpius and had managed to instill some morals into him that were different than himself in his youth. The night that his son had been apologizing for was his fault and had made him no better than his own father. Astoria had yelled at him for days concerning that. The fact that Scorpius had apologized, sincerely feeing abashed for that night, was proof that his wife was the voice of reason for their son. It was several months later but it was better than never.

"Yes?" Draco inquired despite knowing what his son was asking of him. He was standing off to the side, putting all of his weight on one leg as he tucked a hand into the pocket of his grey slacks. From head to toe, he was dressed in a grey suit with a Slytherin green dress shirt beneath. As usual, his platinum hair was immaculate and slicked back.

Astoria stood much closer to the couple, having been on the other side of the Weasley family, waiting patiently for her chance to speak with her son and his now girlfriend. She was dressed in a beautifully elegant, mermaid styled black dress that hugged her hips before flaring out at the bottom. The sleeves were full length and fit like a second skin. Her dark hair was pinned up perfectly, a few tendrils curling about her face. Despite appearing as though the Malfoy couple were preparing to attend a formal gala, this was casual attire for them both.

"You've been quiet… what are your thoughts?" Scorpius asked nervously, wanting nothing more than for his father to approve. His grip on Rose's hand tightened slightly.

"I'm thinking this tournament is going to get one of you two, if not both, killed and I highly disapprove," he responded with a hint of a smirk on his lips, knowing full well that was not what his son was wanting to know. The boy was far too uptight and he was sure that he was to blame for it. Scorpius gave his father a pained look.

"Father…" he complained.

"Oh don't mind your father. I don't know what gets into him sometimes," Astoria chided, shaking her head but there was a smile on her lips. "We are both very proud of you and want nothing more than your happiness. That's all we've ever wanted."

Scorpius visibly brightened at his mother's response. He knew that she would not be upset with him but he had also wanted his father's acceptance. Thankfully, it appeared that he had that as well as his father gave him a more sincere smile.

"Your mother and I both just want you happy, regardless of whom catches your adoration," Draco stated before his attention shifted to Rose. He could see the woman straighten up in response and determination burned in her eyes. Yes, she was more than acceptable for his son. She would take care of him and keep him in line much like Astoria did for himself. His wife broke the mold of what was expected of a pureblood and in turn had changed his own views. She was the balm for his tortured soul.

"And it appears that you are," Astoria determined with a motherly smile as she reached over and brushed some of Scorpius' bangs away.

"I am. Rose is amazing. She has to be to put up with me," he proclaimed with a grin, causing Rose to blush at the praise. She had never expected his family to be as understanding as they currently were given how worried Scorpius had been about his reputation. Her only encounters with his parents had been very brief and not always entirely pleasant.

"The Malfoy men have a tendency to be drawn to strong willed and highly intelligent women," Draco complimented, shooting his wife a teasing yet sincere smile. He noticed that the Weasley girl had blushed further.

"I'm flattered by all the compliments but I'm not as brilliant as you make me out to be. I haven't done anything exceptional," Rose said softly, finally finding an opportunity to speak. She didn't feel as though she had done anything spectacular where Scorpius was concerned. In fact, she felt that she had been selfish by attempting to force him to renounce his reputation and name in an effort to get him to be with her. Quite often, it felt as though she had been trying to change him which was improper of her.

"You've done more than you realize," Astoria countered softly, her smile still in place as she gazed at the couple. Rose wasn't entirely sure what she meant by that but Scorpius seemed to understand her meaning as a soft blush dusted his cheeks.

Ron wasn't sure if he could be any more surprised than he currently was. In all the years he had ever known Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin had never demonstrated any mediocrity of kindness. Before him was no longer his bitter rival but a proud father and it was almost too much for the red head to take in. Hermione gripped his arm tightly just in case her husband decided to do something irrational. For once, Ron didn't feel like lashing out. The Malfoys were treating his daughter kindly which was the polar opposite of what the last several years had been like.

"Rosie, we're going to let you rest up now. You both did brilliantly," Hermione said sweetly as she went over to her daughter and pulled her into a tight embrace.

Rose returned the hug happily as she squeezed her mother, truly missing her. The last several months had been so hard. Slowly, Hermione released her daughter after kissing her cheek before she turned her affections on Scorpius. She enveloped him in a hug as well, ending it with a kiss to his cheek too before joining her husband. The young Slytherin's eyes grew wide at how accepting Rose's mother was. He wasn't expecting it from her father but that was okay. Recalling how kind Rose's mother had been to him after the first task, it was no surprise he supposed.

A moment later and Scorpius was being smothered by his own mother, embarrassingly so. His face stung with heat as he hugged his mother and kissed her cheek, pleading for her to relinquish her hold on him. Rose was doing her best not to laugh at how adorable they were but it was very difficult. A smile formed on her face but she bit her lower lip to remain quiet. Eventually, Astoria released her son.

Draco nodded at his son in farewell and offered Rose a small smile. Out of all the things Rose had expected from the Triwizard Tournament, gaining Scorpius and his family's approval was not one of them. Death and mayhem, yes, but not the love of her life. She supposed she was thankful in a way for it. However, she could do without nearly dying.

"I suppose we will be seeing more of each other, Weasel," Draco proclaimed, his signature smirk in place. This succeeded in making Ron bristle. Hermione pinched her husband's arm in warning. She could tell that Draco was teasing… well mostly.

"I suppose it will," Ron begrudgingly conceded as he rubbed his arm, providing his wife with a disdainful sideways glance. With a shake of her head, Hermione tugged Ron along so that they could leave Scorpius and Rose to rest. The Malfoy couple hung back to exchange a few more words of encouragement.

"Well, well, well… what _do_ we have here?" a voice dripping with regal refinery inquired.

Scorpius felt all of the blood drain from his face and he immediately released Rose's hand on impulse before standing up and away from the cot. Looking to the entrance of the wing, he recognized the voice of the newcomer as that of his grandfather, Lucius Malfoy. The blonde had been thankful that his grandfather had not shown up prior to now. In fact, it surprised him that he was currently here. Looking to his parents, he wondered if they had invited him. Judging by his father's now tense stance, Scorpius realized this was not the case.

A deep frown marred Rose's face as Scorpius released her hand and moved away. Everything had been going so well up until this point so all she wanted to do was hex the man who had come in. She didn't recognized him immediately but it was not difficult to deduce who he was considering the Malfoys' reactions. This had to be Scorpius' grandfather; the man that her Slytherin was constantly trying to gain approval from. This was also the same man who instilled such obsessive thoughts regarding the Malfoy name and reputation. If she wasn't irritated before she sure as hell was now. It had hurt that Scorpius was essentially trying to remove any evidence of their involvement with one another. Having finally won him over, she wasn't ready to let go and have everything go back to how it was before.

Lucius Malfoy made his way towards the rest of the Malfoys and Rose, his signature cane lightly clacking against the marble floor as he walked. For being as old as he was, he surely did not look like it. There were additional hard lines etched into his face but either than that it was difficult to tell that he was old enough to be a grandparent. Age had bleached his platinum hair further but as the color was naturally almost white, it didn't detracted from his attractiveness. It was tied low at the nape of his neck with a black ribbon which matched the black robes he was currently sporting. He was as impeccably dressed as his son but with a more regal air about him. It was as though the man was royalty, which being a pureblood, he might as well have been as far as the wizarding world was concerned.

"Grandfather, what are you doing here?" Scorpius asked quietly, his entire demeanor changing as it often did when the older Malfoy was around. He stood up straight and looked directly at him, his hands clasped behind his back. From Scorpius' behavior, Rose wondered if Lucius was any better than a muggle drill sergeant.

"Do I need to have my reasons?" he responded with an arch of his brow. Scorpius looked as though he wanted to respond but refrained from doing so. Speaking out of line had a tendency of angering his grandfather.

"I should like to know them," Draco growled irritably. The last person he wanted around his son right now was his father. The Weasley girl had been doing considerably well in breaking the mold that his father had created and he could already see that it was being undone.

"Ah, Draco. It would appear that it slipped your mind to inform me that my grandson was a Triwizard Champion. Had it not been for a very reliable source of mine, I might have missed the tournament entirely," he declared coolly, hinting at an underlying anger.

"I assure you, I did not forget," Draco mumbled between clenched teeth. He felt Astoria move to his side and place a gentle hand against his arm. His entire body had already grown tense at his father's arrive. Nothing good ever happened when he was around, especially because he disapproved of himself and his wife. His father felt like he was a mistake of a son and that it was mostly Astoria's fault. Draco blamed himself for having not stopped his father's interference in Scorpius' life sooner.

Lucius ignored his son and especially his daughter-in-law as he looked to his grandson. He held Scorpius' gaze for a moment before his eyes shifted over to the girl that was sitting on the cot behind him. After a quick analysis, he realized that she was the daughter of Arthur's youngest son and the mudblood woman he had gone to school with. It had also been brought to his attention that the Weasley was Scorpius' partner in this tournament; a fact that had not gone over well.

"And you must be Miss Weasley," he continued in his slow drawl, insinuating that she was less than ideal company but his tone lacked any obvious disdain.

"Yes, I am. I am Rose Weasley," she answered without hesitation, her eyes boring straight into his condescending grey ones. Her demeanor changed as well but it was more determined as she straightened her spine. She would not allow for this man to intimidate her because she was Rose Weasley and she was fierce.

There was a subtle cocking of Lucius' finely manicured brow at her obvious defiance and from his peripheral he could also see his own son smirking. He never thought he would live to see Draco siding with a Weasley. However, given the drastic changes his son underwent after he married his wife, he suppose that it should not have been all that surprising. That woman had tainted his son beyond repair.

"Clearly your being alive is a great deal attributed to my grandson having been your partner. Without him, I'm sure you would have perished," he expressed simply as though he was not clearly insulting her.

This succeeded in Rose flushing to match her hair as anger pulsated through her. She was becoming increasingly exhausted by a Malfoy constantly insulting her abilities. First it was Scorpius' father before the first task and now it was his grandfather. Had either one of them taken a moment to investigate, they would see that she was at the top of her classes and it was clearly demonstrated within each task that she was a great asset.

"I will not sit here and allow you to insult me!" she growled as she moved to stand before the eldest Malfoy. "Scorpius and I are a team. Neither one of us could do this without the other. Do not delude yourself into thinking that because of your name that you are better than everyone. I'll bet that you couldn't survive as long as we have in this task!"

For a moment no one spoke. Each of the Malfoy's were flabbergasted by Rose's defense. Scorpius wasn't sure if he should be proud or terrified. No one spoke to his grandfather like this and got away with it. His Weasley was a special breed that was for sure. Guilt began to gnaw at him, however, as he realized that it should have been him who was defending her. She was always being insulted by either himself or someone in his family. Sure, he had made their relationship public but what was he doing to enforce that? Knowing that he would lose Rose if he didn't act, he headed over to his beloved, stopping at her side.

"Grandfather, what she says is true. We're a team and equally dependent on each other. Actually, there are times when I rely on her more heavily. She's brilliant," he said gently, taking Rose's hand into his. He had already been public, so there was no use in hiding.

There was no mistaking the venom in Lucius' eyes at the continued back talk he was receiving. It had appeared that his grandson was being tainted by a woman no differently than Draco. Despite his constant coaching and teaching, Scorpius was determined to follow the same path as his disappointing father. His grip on his cane tightened dangerously as he narrowed his gaze on the duo before him.

"I suggest the both of you bite your tongues and recognize just whom you are speaking to. I will not tolerate insubordination from anyone," he demanded evenly. Scorpius found that the calmness of his voice was more alarming than had he been yelling.

Rose was about to fire off a comment when she felt Scorpius' hand tighten around hers in warning. It was not in her to let someone treat her in this manner without biting their head off. Al and the Slytherin at her side could both testify to that. Her chest burned and ached as she kept her mouth shut, unable to yell at the bastard before her. The smug look on Lucius' face, however, was almost her undoing as he seemed rather satisfied that no one was speaking to him as he requested.

"And I have no idea what either of you think _this_ is," Lucius began, gazing pointedly at their joined hands in disgust. "But I suggest you extract yourself. I will not tolerate this." There was an air of finality as he spoke. He turned his irritated gaze on his son and daughter-in-law before he spun on his heel and left the wing. The clacking of his cane against the stone floor could be heard even after he was long gone.

"What a bastard," Rose growled irritably, unable to contain herself any longer. The man irked her to no end but she was concerned as to what Scorpius was going to do. Initially, he had tried to hide that they were together from his grandfather, but he had redeemed himself. She was worried that, ultimately, he would change his mind. She was pulled from her thoughts by soft chuckling.

"That he is. Sadly he wasn't always like this," Draco said gently, earning a questioning look from both his son and the Weasley girl. A sigh escaped him as he ran his hand through his impeccable hair. "Well, my father has always been… difficult and obsessive with the Malfoy name. Having been used to being treated essentially like royalty… when he became enslaved to the Dark Lord and reduced to nothing more than a servant, even surviving a stint in Azkaban, it changed him. Since the Battle of Hogwarts, he has been feverishly trying to regain that fame and respect, restoring the Malfoy name and his sanity. I'm not agreeing with his methods nor proclaiming to truly understand him, but his mind has been damaged as any soldier that has seen war." A frown marred his features as he felt that he understood his father better now than he had in his youth after the war, but he hated that Scorpius and Astoria felt the brunt of it. Had he not been suffering from his own PTSD, he could have done better by his family.

As much as Rose wanted to retain her anger as the eldest Malfoy, what Scorpius' father said made sense. She hated it with every fiber of her being, especially with how it shaped her boyfriend, but she understood. Sighing heavily herself, she looked to Scorpius, wondering what his thoughts were on the matter. He still retained a pale pallor that was whiter than his normal complexion, but she noticed that his demeanor had relaxed slightly since his grandfather left.

"Scorpius?" she called out, gently tugging on his hand to get his attention. Slowly he turned to her, providing her with a questioning look.

"I'll be fine, I promise," he said gently, figuring that she was inquiring about his current mood.

"Son… don't make the same mistakes that I did," he said gently as he approached his son, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. Rose released the Slytherin's hand and stepped to the side, near his mother, as she allowed the two to speak. She kept her hands clasped in front of her, unsure of what to do.

"I'm not sure I understand," Scorpius declared softly, furrowing his brows as he looked to his father. The two of them hardly ever had heart-to-heart talks so he was finding this to be rather uncharacteristic of him.

"Do what makes you happy. Follow your heart. Don't put so much stock into what other people think or how you feel it's going to affect the Malfoy name. You have an incredible witch at your side who has stuck by you. Don't let that go, even if it goes against everything you were brought up to believe. Your mother saved me, let Rose do the same for you," he said softly but sincerely. He wanted to right the wrongs of his son's childhood and he could see that the Weasley girl cared a great deal for him, even after being insulted by his father.

Scorpius' eyes widened as his father spoke the words he had so desperately wanted to hear his entire life. He had never wanted the stress of being a Malfoy and upholding the family name. It was difficult to discover what kind of man he was when he was being forced into a preconceived mold. Now, his father was alleviating him of all that stress.

"But what about grandfather?" he asked, not wishing to anger the man who had helped raise him, even if it had not been gently. The signature Malfoy smirk spread across his father's lips.

"Leave my father to me. Nothing pleases me more than irking him and it would seem that your witch has no problem doing the same. It would bring me immense pleasure should the two of you marry just to see the look on his face," he announced, causing the couple to blush furiously.

"F-Father!" Scorpius stuttered, finding the conversation to be incredibly embarrassing, especially because it was a very deep, secret desire of his.

"Hm?" Draco inquired, an innocent smile playing on his lips. It was good to see his son lose his composure from time to time.

"Come on dear, I do believe we have embarrassed the children enough for one day," Astoria chided gently, sliding her hand into the crook of her husband's arm. "Take care you two. Rest up."

"Yes, mum," Scorpius mumbled, his face incredibly red still.

"Thank you for everything, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy," Rose declared graciously, her own cheeks burning as well. She wouldn't admit it out loud but Scorpius' father's words had warmed her deeply. His family, minus his grandfather of course, had been incredibly accepting and so quickly. It was more than she could have ever asked for.

"Any time, dear," Astoria responded before she took her leave with her husband. Silence fell between the Slytherin and Ravenclaw for a brief moment as they attempted to recompose themselves.

"It would seem… that you have changed more than myself," Scorpius mused after a moment. He offered her a genuine smile as he took her into his arms, exhaling deeply as he was able to finally fully relax. Despite having been so close to her since his public declaration, it didn't feel close enough and he was more than ready for some alone time with her.

"I hope that's not a bad thing," Rose responded as she took solace in his embrace. He was warm and comforting, his scent permeating her senses as she leaned against him. This was perfection despite the tense moment beforehand.

"How about we ditch this place, regardless of what Madame Rosaline has to say?" Scorpius offered, grinning from ear to ear deviously. Rose giggled softly. He was ever her shameless Slytherin.

"I suppose that's not a terrible idea. You could convince me," she said slyly as she pulled back to look up at him, her cerulean eyes glinting playfully. Scorpius' eyes widened slightly before his signature smirk slid into place.

"I assure you, I can be quite persuasive," he promised before leaning in to kiss her decadent lips. It would take him some time to adjust to the fact that he was able to be affectionate towards the red head without fear of being discovered. It was incredibly freeing, actually.

Rose sighed contently as she leaned into her Slytherin once more, indulging in the feel of his soft yet commanding lips sliding against her own. It was exhilarating that he was finally hers to possess and she finally knew where she stood with him. He had even defended her against his family. If someone had told her months ago that Scorpius Malfoy would give up his sacred reputation for her, she would have thought them mental. Hell, she wasn't even entirely sure she wasn't dreaming this up. It wouldn't be the first time that she had dreamt of him so vividly. Her cheeks burned slightly as she recalled just how detailed of a dream it had been.

Slowly, Scorpius broke from the kiss when he absolutely felt the need to breathe. His lungs ached but it was well worth it. Lightly panting, he gazed down at his girlfriend, reaching up to gently cup her cheek and run his thumb across her pinked cheek. She was absolutely gorgeous and so very tempting. The fact that he could claim her as his girlfriend was something he would have to adjust to but it was a good adjustment.

He wasn't known for having a long term girlfriend and he was sure people would be waiting to see what his intention with Rose was, especially her family despite them having confidence in him. Rose meant the world to him and he vowed that he would demonstrate that to her every moment of everyday until both she and everyone else refused to doubt him.

"You're blushing," he whispered, wondering if his kiss had been the cause or if there was something on her mind. This succeeded in siphoning more crimson to her skin. At this rate she was going to be the same color as her hair.

"Uh yeah… th-that happens sometimes when I'm with you," she muttered as she tried to purge the memory of her dream from her mind. Her expression must have been transparent because next thing she knew, he was arching a finely manicured brow questioningly at her.

"Oh? I take it there is something… interesting on your mind?" he inquired, unable to keep the smirk from sliding onto his face. "Obviously it has to do with me."

"Wh-why does it have to be about you?" Rose stuttered as she suddenly felt incredibly nervous. This time, Scorpius chuckled softly.

"Because you just told me you blush around me. However, this is about more than just the kiss. What is it?" he pressed, his curiosity getting the best of him. Besides, her reaction was adorable and he couldn't help but antagonize her a bit.

Just as he was about to repeat himself, Rose buried her face in his chest, wrapping her arms around him tightly and then muttering incoherently. Soft laughter rumbled in his chest from both her actions and the fact that her bushy hair was now tickling his face. Lightly, he pressed his hand to the top of her head before sliding it down to her back and then rubbing soothingly.

"Oh come on it can't be that bad. I can't understand you, love," he chided. For a moment Rose didn't move. He saw her frame rise and then fall as she seemingly sighed heavily. Her face even redder than before, she gazed up at him.

"Do you… do you remember when… you weren't talking to me for a few weeks… after you had kissed me the first time… I woke you up in the middle of the night because of a dream?" she asked embarrassedly. Scorpius furrowed his brow until realization hit him at the moment she was speaking of.

"Yes, you were moaning nonstop but you refused to tell me what it was about. Now that I think about it, you were just as red then as you are now," he speculated before an incredibly wide grin broke across his face.

"You were dreaming of me… and it was a sexy-as-hell dream wasn't it?" he declared, causing Rose to groan and roll her eyes at him. It wasn't fair how much he was enjoying himself. The Slytherin really was incredibly full of himself even though he was correct.

"I suppose that's one way to put it," she conceded as she shook her head at his behavior.

"Well… it doesn't have to be a dream you know," he offered silkily as he tilted her face towards his once more.

Rose felt as though her heart might pound right out of her chest. His offer was far more tempting than it should have been but she had to remind herself that she did have standards and they had just become a couple. No, she needed to keep her hormones and emotions in check. While she knew that Scorpius cared about her a great deal, she still felt the need to be a bit reserved around him. After all, she had never known the man to have a real girlfriend before. Before Rose had a chance to respond to him, Madame Rosaline interrupted.

"It would appear the two of you are fine. Please leave the wing before you two continue on any further," she commanded with a disapproving shake of her head. Rose wasn't sure she could be any more embarrassed. Squeaking a bit, she grabbed Scorpius' hand and practically bolted from the room. Said Slytherin was laughing hysterically.

Rose didn't say anything until they were more than halfway to the Champion room that they shared. In between pants Scorpius was still trying to laugh until he eventually paused and doubled over, gasping for air. Crossing her arms over her chest, Rose pouted at the blonde.

"Shut up, Malfoy, you're not funny," she growled.

"H-Hey… don't call me that…" he gasped as he took several deep breaths and was able to stand up again. "You're just too cute." Instead of being flattered, Rose looked annoyed.

"There is nothing cute about me being embarrassed. I suggest you behave yourself if you want me to stick around," she threatened as she turned away from him.

"Wait… don't be like that," he whined as he moved to wrap his arms around her from behind. "Okay, I'm sorry, I won't laugh or tease anymore."

It surprised the red head just how easily he conceded to defeat. The Scorpius Malfoy she knew would have put up a fight until the very end. It just went to show how much a person could change when they found something worth changing for. She couldn't keep the smile from her face as she leaned back into his embrace and indulged in his touch once more. This was the side of the Slytherin that she knew was buried deep beneath his play boy façade.

"Come on, let's get out of the hallway," Rose said gently as she pulled away in favor of lacing her fingers with his and continuing on their journey. While remaining quiet, Scorpius still managed to look smug that she was no longer mad at him. She wasn't sure what she was going to do with him but she had plenty of time to figure that out.

A few moments later and Rose found herself standing in the middle of the Champion room in awe as the weight of the day slowly came crashing down upon her. She and Scorpius had just survived the second task of the Triwizard Tournament and even managed to come in second place. So much had happened within the task itself that it was a wonder that either of them were coherent. Both of them had experienced moments of trauma. It all felt like a long, distant dream or, rather, a nightmare.

"You alright?" Scorpius inquired softly as he placed a hand on Rose's shoulder. She had grown incredibly quiet and almost seemed like she was in a daze of sorts. It wasn't surprising, really, given everything they had just endured hours before.

"Yeah… I'll be fine. Pretty tired, actually, but I don't want to sleep just yet," she answered before turning to face her boyfriend. Her answer had him grinning rather suggestively.

"Oh? And what exactly would you rather be doing?" he purred as he gently ran his hands down the sides of her arms. Despite trying to keep up her aloof demeanor, she felt goosebumps erupt along her skin at his touch even beneath her Champion uniform.

"Well… for one… I would really enjoy a shower and a fresh pair of clothes," she answered.

"I could join you," Scorpius whispered in her ear as he leaned forward to kiss her neck below her earlobe. Rose grasped his shoulders as she bit her lower lip to keep from moaning. The prat knew exactly what he was doing but he shouldn't have been so damn good at it.

"You can't help yourself can you?" Rose mumbled breathlessly. "No, you stay here. We can take turns. Then we can spend time with each other."

"Mhh… fine but you know where to find me if you change your mind," Scorpius conceded with a pout as he pulled back a bit. What he said was all in good fun but if she actually did take him up on his offers he would be thrilled. However, he would never force her into anything she felt uncomfortable with.

"Good boy," she said with a giggle as she pat his head. This succeeded in earning a dead panned look from the Slytherin.

"Really? What am I, a dog?" he complained. Rose smiled widely before kissing his cheek.

"I'll be back shortly." With that, she gathered up some clean clothes and disappeared to take her shower.

Running his fingers through his tousled hair, Scorpius couldn't help but smile to himself. The hell of the second task was well worth it if it meant that he got to keep Rose all to himself. He should have come to his senses sooner but he was thankful that he hadn't been too late. A warmth like he had never known filled him as he affectionately thought of Rose. Since being with her, he had smiled more frequently and genuinely than he ever had in his entire life. The redhead brought him a freedom he didn't think he could ever obtain. With her at his side, he didn't feel alone even if he lost his Malfoy status. Her affections had come to mean so much more to him than his name ever could.

Desperately attempting to not think about the water sliding down Rose's luscious body, Scorpius removed his Champion uniform so that he was able to lounge around in his boxers. Sighing from relief, he stretched out on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Just as he was about to start counting the tiles above him as a distraction, his concentration was broken by a melodious sound that drifted into the room. Shifting his gaze to the closed door of the bathroom as he realized it was Rose singing. He couldn't quite make out the words over the sounds of the water but from what he could tell it was beautiful. Was there anything she couldn't do?

Rose emerged a short while later, ruffling her hair with a towel. She felt a million times better now that she was able to remove the grime from her body and massage her aching muscles with the hot water. There's as nothing a good shower couldn't fix. Deciding that she needed to embrace change, she had dressed in shorts and a tank top instead her normal long sleeved pajamas. She gave pause as she noticed that Scorpius was staring at her but not because of what she was wearing. He bore a gentle, affectionate smile.

"You have a lovely voice," he complimented as he sat up. Rose, having realized that she had been caught singing, blushed several shades of red and hid beneath her towel. She had completely forgotten that he would have been able to hear her but she had just been so happy that she couldn't contain herself. Hearing the bed creak, it was only a second later that Scorpius was standing before her and lifting the towel from her face.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," the Slytherin assured her before he kissed her cheek. "I'm glad you're happy and that you decided to wear something more comfortable."

"Yeah well… it was time for a change," she said softly as she gazed at him. It was then she realized that he was wearing next to nothing. This time, she was the one with the intimate thoughts and she seriously considered propositioning him. "You should go take your shower."

"No arguments there," Scorpius agreed before he disappeared to do just that.

His shower was progressively shorter than Rose's as he didn't want to risk her falling asleep before he had a chance to spend time with her. Stepping back into the room, he was dressed similarly to before, wanting to be as comfortable as possible. He grinned as he realized that Rose had decided to lay down on his bed. She looked perfect there even as she was just simply resting and reading a book. Realizing his presence, Rose set her book aside and gave him a once over that sent chills through his body.

"Aren't you going to get chilly?" Rose inquired as she leaned up on her elbows. Scorpius grinned slyly in response to her question.

"I have you to keep me warm," he professed smoothly as he crawled onto the bed towards his Ravenclaw. Resting his knees on either side of her, he leaned down to kiss her passionately as he cupped the back of her neck to bring her close. Rose sighed contently as she returned his affections, leaning back against the pillows. How could she deny him?

"Scorpius?"

"Hm?"

"Do you remember the dance we shared at the Yule Ball?" she whispered against his lips, causing him to draw back a bit to look at her questioningly.

"Yeah… why?"

"Well… you recall that I won that little competition. You owe me an hour of absolute servitude," she said with a grin. Scorpius gave her a shocked look before he smirked deviously.

"Oh yeah? And what would you have me do?" he inquired seductively as he dipped his head down to kiss and nibble her neck and shoulder. Rose found herself momentarily distracted by the shivers that coursed down her body, all the way to her toes, at his motions. Once more, she found herself wanting to give in but she refrained.

"I would have you… talk to me," she answered a bit breathlessly. Scorpius pulled back suddenly and frowned, not understanding what she meant. It certainly wasn't what he, nor a certain part of his anatomy, had in mind.

"What?"

"I want you to answer any and all questions that I have for the next hour," she explained as she gently pushed him back enough so that she could sit up. Seeing as how the man was barely dressed, there was no guessing what he had been hoping she would say. For a moment she felt guilty but quickly banished the thought.

"You have Scorpius Malfoy, the sexiest man at this school, alone and in bed with you, and all you want to do is talk?" he asked aghast before whimpering a bit. "Why do women always want to talk?"

"Oh come on, it's not that bad. Besides, Scorpius Malfoy would jump into bed with me if I simply asked. However, he does like to evade my personal questions," she reasoned. "Now you promised me an hour of whatever I want and that's what I want."

"Are you sure you're not a Slytherin?" he inquired before he sighed. "Alright, fine. What do you want to know?" His body easily went soft at his defeat. This surely was not what he had anticipating. He pulled one knee up and rest his arm upon it, appearing begrudgingly aloof.

"I have my moments. Perhaps it's from hanging around you so much," she said affectionately before she sat up and crossed her legs.

Scorpius observed that she was far too excited for something that felt agonizing. He really wasn't one to talk about his personal feelings or home life and he was sure that was exactly what she wanted to find out. It wasn't that he didn't trust her but he tried his best to forget some of it. She just happened to be his weak spot where his emotions were concerned.

"What's your favorite color?" she asked with a smile, earning another stunned look from the blonde.

"Um… red…" he said slowly, suspiciously. Why did she care what his favorite color was? He would have answered that without the hour agreement. Rose arched her brow inquisitively.

"Red? Really? I would have expected green, silver, or black. You are a Malfoy and a Slytherin after all," she mused as she tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps you are secretly a Gryffindor." This was received with a droll look from said Slytherin.

"Please, don't insult me. It's rather unfortunate that my favorite color is associated with that house," he grumbled with a shake of his head. "Why do you want to know that anyways?" Rose shrugged.

"Curiosity. Don't be so uptight. I'm not going to use this information against you," she assured him, frowning slightly. For a moment Scorpius said nothing, looking at a spot somewhere over her shoulder but not really seeing. Rose had a feeling that she tugged at a nerve unintentionally. Just as she was about to ask him to say something, he did so.

"Demonstrating joy or pleasure is just a weakness to be used against you later," he answered softly as he battled with past memories. "It was one of the first lessons that my grandfather taught me. He said the only thing I should find joy in was' my name and the power that it brought. I wasn't allowed pets or anything that I could gain an attachment to.

"When I was young, I hoped for a sibling so that I might have a friend. My father was always away when I was a child and my mother did the best that she could but she had to take care of me and run the manor. That left me in my grandfather's care, as I told you at the Yule ball. Any 'friends' I had were merely the children of other influential families. By the time I was old enough to attend Hogwarts, a stigma had been instilled in me. I've never really trusted anyone… until you." This time Scorpius turned his gaze on Rose, her expression having softened, not to that of pity but of understanding. He was thankful because he could not stand anyone pitying him.

"You have friends and a family that you know loves you. You know they would never hurt you, at least intentionally," he stated, recalling Potter and his idiocy prior to the second task. "You're comfortable around these people and you find such pure joy in simple activities. When you're flying on the Quidditch pitch, it's as if you are experiencing the greatest happiness in the world. I have never been allowed this sort of… freedom. I suppose that was what initially drew me to you."

Scorpius' words were flattering but heartbreaking. Her ability to express herself freely and openly enjoy her passions was something she had seriously taken for granted. It had never occurred to her that, perhaps, someone of his caliber would not be entitled to such a pleasure. Seeing as how his family, and many of the other sacred purebloodlines, were used to receiving everything and anything they desired, she never thought otherwise. Reaching out, Rose took his hand into hers and caressed his knuckles with her thumb.

"I'm so sorry… I had no idea it was like that," she said softly. "Just goes to prove that you never really know someone's story."

"I know what you mean…" Scorpius declared softly before he took her hand and pressed it against his cheek. His eyes fluttered shut as he leaned into her touch and simply indulged in her.

For a whole moment Rose couldn't breathe as she observed her Slytherin. In this single moment, she could see his vulnerability and the weight of the world that he bore on his shoulders. She wanted to take that pressure away and show him that he didn't have to be alone anymore. Leaning forward, she placed a delicate kiss upon his lips, wanting nothing more than to bring him happiness. A soft sigh escaped Scorpius as he returned her sweet gesture. It was something that he was still getting used to but he was more than willing to adapt. Before long, he was pulling back to gaze at his red head.

"Mh… speaking of not knowing someone's story… care to share how you were able to produce a patronus and why it took on the form of a serpent?" he inquired with a sly smile, returning to his normal demeanor. His smile widened as Rose's cheeks began to match the color of her hair.

"H-Hey… this is my hour to ask you questions," she answered evasively as she pulled a pillow into her lap and rest her chin on it. Scorpius arched a fine brow at her response.

"Oh come on, I just got sappy on you and you can't even answer me this?" he asked with a pout forming on his lips. The gesture was far cuter than it should have been and it succeeded in weakening Rose's resolve.

"I'm quite sure you know how a patronus is formed…" she mumbled as she squeezed her pillow tightly.

"Indeed I do. I'm curious as to what memory you conjured when you had been feeling pretty low just beforehand," he said as he extracted the pillow from her grasp so that she would quit hiding and answer him. Rose made a nose of complaint and instead crossed her arms over her chest.

"You're so pushy," she complained before sighing a bit, her cheeks still rather red. "I was thinking about… our dance at the Yule Ball. It was the happiest I had been… in so very long. You had, in a way, made a public claim on me… and we had so much fun. We were both open and passionate. It still fills me with warmth to think about."

While Scorpius had been pretty sure that the memory contained him somehow, he had not been expecting his own embarrassment to take hold as his cheeks siphoned heat to them. Rose had meant what she said and it was obvious to see. To know that he had been the reason why she was able to produce such a powerful spell, was incredibly flattering. Pride settled comfortably in his chest and he couldn't help but smile.

"So… about your patronus being a serpent…" he began, laughing as Rose stole back her pillow and began beating him with it. Her embarrassment was endearing and before he knew what he was doing, he had pulled her into his arms and fallen back onto the bed with her. This succeeded in stopping her assault as she made herself more comfortable. Silence fell between them for only a moment before the Ravenclaw spoke.

"You've changed me a lot, Scorpius. I'm not going to lie… it's terrifying. I feel and think things that I never have before. What I feel with you is unique and thrilling. I'm scared about the future, but I'm willing to see where it goes," she spoke sincerely as she wrapped her arms around him securely. Her cheek was pressed against his chest and she could hear his heart racing.

"I understand. You've done the same for me… we will tackle the future together. I promise," he assured her as his grip around her tightened. Gently, he pressed a kiss to her forehead, comprehending her sentiment entirely. Everything about his world had been shifted and turned upside down since she had come crashing in. While he had fought it every step of the way, he was ready to give in. Rose meant the world to him and she deserved the best that he could give her.

Scorpius words were incredibly significant to her and she planned on holding him to them. The last thing she wanted was for them to have endured everything they did and to not give themselves a chance. If she could overcome her fear, he could overcome his ego. Considering that he had stood up to his grandfather, she had high hopes for him.

"So… any more questions for the Ravenclaw?" Scorpius inquired as he smiled fondly at the woman in his arms.

"Mh… no, not for now. I think I will take the remaining time left in my hour and save it for another day," she answered with a grin, laughing gently when the blonde frowned in response.

"I don't think that's how this works…"

"Hey, you said I have one hour. You didn't say consecutively or when I could use it," she countered, quite happy with her loophole.

"Careful now, one might think you enjoy being devious," he teased, wondering what she could possibly want to do with the remaining time. Honestly, he would give her just about anything if she simply asked for it.

"Dunno… but I'm sure it will come in handy," Rose declared with a shrug.

"Mh… guess we will have to wait and see," Scorpius said dismissively before he slid up the bed so that he was able to rest his head on his pillow. He kept Rose in his arms as he pulled the covers over the both of them. There was no way in hell he was letting her go now. Pulling her back against his chest, he buried his face in the crook of her neck, making himself comfortable.

Rose had no complaints whatsoever in regards to Scorpius' behavior. There was a wide, happy smile on her face as she allowed him to snuggle close to her. She never thought she would ever feel so content and secure with Malfoy but here she was. Vaguely, she wondered if they would split the two of them up seeing as how they were now together and sharing a room. She hoped not.

"Good night, Scorpius," she mumbled tiredly as a yawn took over her. Once more the exhaustion of the day came crashing down full force but this time she knew she would no longer be able to fight it off.

"Night, Rose," she heard before she blissfully surrender to sleep.

xXx

Before Rose even really realized it, a couple of weeks had passed and the Great Hall, as well as various other portions of the castle, were decorated in pinks, whites, and reds. Mini cupids flew around the halls, shooting arrows that would explode into glitter while delivering valentines via song. With everything that had been going on, she had completely forgotten that Valentine's Day had been coming up. She and Scorpius had been in their own world of happiness and neither had mentioned the holiday. Now that she was thinking on it, she recalled that the second task had been originally scheduled to be conducted sometime after the bubbly holiday.

Sitting at her house's table, Rose took her place directly in front of Lily whom, oddly enough, was sitting by herself. For a moment, the Ravenclaw felt a wave of guilt wash over her. Since she and Scorpius had become official, she had been neglecting her family. She recalled that after the second task had come to a close, Alek had been rather cold and distant from her cousin. Having been distracted by Scorpius, Rose never found the time to ask Lily about as to why. If the Durmstrang male had actually broken up with her cousin shortly before Valentine's Day she was going to hex the prat into oblivion.

"Hey, you alright?" Rose inquired as she reached across the table to take Lily's hand into her own. The red head looked up suddenly, her train of thought broken. She offered a small smile to her cousin.

"Hm? Yeah, guess I'm still kinda waking up," she explained before visibly doing her best to appear better. "What have you been up to? Rather, 'who'?" A soft giggle escaped the younger woman, causing Rose to blush.

"H-Hey, it's not like that… not exactly," Rose mumbled as she began busying herself with making a plate of breakfast.

"Mh-hm, sure it's not. I haven't seen you in weeks. You and Malfoy have been locked up in that room of yours," Lily continued, laughing a bit more as Rose's cheeks darkened further.

"I'm serious! We haven't been doing anything. Mostly talking and taking a break from this tournament," she defended.

"Don't forget snogging. You're not going to convince me of anything otherwise," Lily declared with a smirk as she began picking at her own food. "He better treat you right, Rose. Otherwise, Al is going to be the least of his worries." Rose couldn't help but smile softly. This had been the first time in a long time that her cousin seemed normal. Despite something clearly being on her mind, her personality seemed to be returning. Whenever she was with Alek, it was as though she was an entirely different person.

"He's being a proper gentleman, believe it or not," Rose assured her. "So… what's going on with you and Alek? He seemed rather upset right after the second task. Are you two… still together?" Lily sighed heavily in response.

"I'm not really sure what is wrong with him. He was so angry. It was as though he had lost the task despite him and Krum coming in first place. I heard him mumble that something hadn't gone according to plan. Don't know what though," she explained before frowning deeply. "He's been locked up in his room too. It feels like he's avoiding me so I don't really even know what to expect today." The younger woman's frown faded into a heartbroken look.

"Well, if he doesn't get his act together, I'll kick his arse," Rose offered, earning a small laugh from her cousin.

"Whose arse are we kicking? Malfoy's?" Albus inquired as he approached the females, smirking gleefully. This earned an eye roll from Rose.

"No, we are not. Scorpius has been wonderful and if you start with him then it's your arse that I'm gonna be kicking," Rose threatened. The Gryffindor held up his hands in defense, surrendering immediately. He sat down next to his sister and immediately began piling food on his plate. Before he could ask his question again, Albus was interrupted by another person joining their group.

"Is this seat taken?" Alek inquired, standing on the other side of Lily. He bore an apologetic look on his face, his strawberry blonde hair brushed to the side and out of his eyes for once. In his hands was a small bouquet of white roses. Lily blushed gently at the gesture before smiling widely.

"Now it is. Please, sit down," she said happily. Alek complied before handing her the bouquet.

"I am sorry for my recent behavior. I did not mean to avoid you. There is a lot of stress on me because of this tournament, even if Durmstrang and Hogvarts are currently tied," he explained before he leaned over to place a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Please forgive me?"

Rose's eyes widened slightly as he announced the current scores of the tournament. In her distraction, that was something else that she had neglected. It surprised her that, despite coming in second place, she and Scorpius had done well enough to tie for first with Durmstrang. The males had been dominating the tournament so far and she had begun to lose hope of ever catching up. She supposed with the Beauxbatons women falling behind so terribly it had helped boost their scores.

"Of course. All is forgiven," Lily said sweetly before she leaned her head on Alek's shoulder. The male seemed quite pleased with the turn of events.

"Wait, so we are in second? What were the marks given for?" Rose asked, her gaze shifting to Albus as she knew that he would have the answer. The Gryffindor was about to respond, mouth full of food, before he thought twice about it. Rose seemed to be a stickler for manners. Another moment passed before he was able to speak unhindered.

"Wow, you really have been oblivious. I really don't want to know why and I'm going to pretend that it has nothing to do with Malfoy," he started, earning a slight frown from Rose. "Well, the judges were incredibly impressed with just about everything you and Malfoy had done. I think Durmstrang only got first because they finished first but as far as skills go, you two dominated." Albus began smirking widely and arrogantly, his gaze darting over to Alek for a moment. "That patronus of yours was wicked. I think that was the deciding factor with the judges. That's not easy magic even for advanced wizards."

Rose blushed slightly under the praise. She could feel Alek's gaze and he was less than pleased. His eyes had hardened and appeared almost murderous. It was alarming but no sooner had she witnessed it, his expression changed to that of casual interest. She wondered if maybe she had imagined it. The male had never done anything to her directly outside of some competitive banter. This was the same guy who had asked her permission to date her cousin. No, she had to be seeing things.

"Scorpius will be glad to hear this," she stated as she wondered where her Slytherin was. When she had awoken in their shared room, he had already been missing. Given the fact that it was Valentine's Day, she hoped that he hadn't been kidnapped or held up somewhere by his fan club.

"Glad to hear of what?" Scorpius inquired as he made his presence known. Despite the incredibly awe-struck looks he was receiving from the current occupants of the table, he sat down beside Rose and kissed her cheek affectionately. Potter's mouth actually hung open to which he rolled his eyes at. "Attractive."

"Is Scorpius Malfoy seriously sitting with us?" Albus gasped after a moment, his eyes wide as he looked to Rose and then his sister before finally settling on Malfoy for the briefest of moments.

"Albus…" Rose warned with a narrowed gaze. It thrilled her that Scorpius continued with his I-don't-give-a-damn-what-people-think demeanor. However, she could feel the daggers being glared into her back at the Slytherin prince sitting with her. She was sure his fan club had hoped the scene at the second task had been a fluke.

"You can't blame me, Rose. I still haven't even truly accepted the fact that the two of you are together, especially because I haven't seen you with him since the tournament. Yes, I am aware that is where you have been spending all of your time lately," he grumbled as he moved his gaze away from the Slytherin.

"Oh I can force the truth on you," Scorpius declared coolly before he gently tilted Rose's face towards his own and kissed her gently. Kissing her was a thrill in its own but hearing Potter's noises of disgust only made it that much sweeter. Rose sighed gently and returned his kiss quickly before pulling away.

"As much as I love kissing you, please stop antagonizing my cousin," she chided gently before laughing.

"I'm so glad you find my pain humorous," Albus complained before he returned to his breakfast.

"So, what was it that I would be glad to hear about?" Scorpius questioned, returning to his previous intrigue.

"Oh! We are tied with Durmstrang," Rose answered happily as she began eating her own food. Having Scorpius sitting at the table with her most certainly lifted her already high spirits. He had continued to show that he had meant what he had said and that he was done hiding.

"Are we? Well that's no surprise. We are the best after all," Scorpius proclaimed with a smirk.

"Ah, but you are not first," Alek countered, having been quiet up until now.

"And there is still one more task left. Be prepared to lose," the Slytherin continued, unabashed. Alek said nothing more but there had been a dangerous glint in his eye. While it didn't alarm Scorpius, it definitely left him feeling cautious. Tearing his gaze away, he frowned as it finally hit him what day it was. "It's Valentine's Day," he stated.

"How very astute you are. Give the man a medal," Albus teased but immediately silenced himself as his cousin once more glared at him.

"Yes, apparently it is," Rose answered but she was cut off from saying anything further as the owls started to flood the Great Hall with the post. As with any holiday, there were more owls than usual and bearing more parcels than normal.

Grinning from ear to ear, Albus eagerly caught all of his gifts and began sifting through them, immediately tossing out the ones that didn't belong to his immediately family. Lily proceeded to do the same. Rose received significantly less than her cousins but it didn't faze her. She would typically just receive chocolates and candies from her family and every so often from a friend. However, neither she nor her cousins combined compared to the mountain that fell in front of Scorpius, threatening to bury him. The Slytherin shook his head disdainfully as he did every year and began sorting everything into a neat pile.

"I would say you should share but I wouldn't eat anything anyone gives to you. Hell, I don't even trust my own stash," Albus said honestly. Due to the fame of his family, it was unfortunately normal for him to receive an absorbent amount of gifts. However, they were typically laced with love potions. After a rather embarrassing and unfortunate scene his first year, he decided to just toss all candy that didn't come from a trusted source.

"You can tell which ones are laced," Scorpius declared as he sifted through his gifts. A deep frown graced his features as he looked to Rose's tiny pile. "I would have thought you would have had the same amount of admirers as the Potters do. It's not like your family is any less famous." Rose blushed embarrassedly but before she could answer, Al did it for her.

"Well you see… Rose seems to intimidate men. After her second year, when they realized her hot temper and brains, they were rather deterred. I think she's had maybe but two boyfriends," he answered. Rose flushed deeper and threw one of Scorpius boxes at her cousin.

"Shut up, Al!" she hissed before she turned to her boyfriend. "As obnoxious as his delivery is, my cousin is correct." A sigh escaped her at the harsh truth.

"Yeah but, you're fine now! I'm sure Malfoy has something planned for you!" Albus defended, not wishing to truly upset his cousin. He turned his gaze to the Slytherin but instead of the composed demeanor he typically bore, Scorpius seemed to have paled a few shades.

"You actually like this stuff?" he asked quietly, having not thought that Rose would be the gushy, girly type to enjoy such things. While he found the holiday to be rather boring and obnoxious, most women felt the opposite. Rose, however, was not most women. It had appeared that he was incredibly wrong.

"Of course I enjoy such things. It's nice to get gifts and to have someone think romantically of you. I've just never really had the partner to do so," she explained as she looked to him curiously.

"Oh-ho-ho… bad move mate. You don't have anything planned do you. You're sort of a terrible boyfriend aren't ya?" Albus said gleefully, enjoying that Malfoy was already in the doghouse. The Slytherin glared venomously at him.

"Shut your mouth you git!" he growled, not allowing for Potter to see how true his words were. "You honestly think I would do something so simple?" Now he just had to figure out what exactly he was going to do for his newfound girlfriend. Hell, he had never done anything for anyone for Valentine's Day. Suddenly, Rose's face lit up at his declaration and he felt his heart tighten with guilt.

"Really? You do? I can't wait!" she said excitedly as she bounced in her seat a bit. No one had ever done anything special for her before and given the flair that Scorpius was known for, she couldn't help but be excited. Scorpius suddenly felt very sick as the pressure was laid on thick. How could he have been such a damn idiot?

"Well, you're gonna have to wait a bit. It's going to be special though, I promise," he assured her as he wrapped an arm around her waist. Hopefully, that would buy him enough time to put something together that was worthy of her. Rose leaned into his body and scooted a bit closer, beyond ecstatic.

"Guess I'll have to be patient," she conceded before she finished off her breakfast. Locating a package from her parents, she opened it and happily began munching on the chocolate inside.

"So… have we heard anything about Hugo?" Lily asked suddenly, sadly gazed at the empty spot beside Rose where her cousin and best friend normally sat. Almost immediately, the air amongst the group grew dismal and melancholy. Even Albus stopped in his own devouring of chocolate.

"Nothing new… he's still comatose while the medics work on finding an antidote for the poison," Rose answered softly. Sometime after she informed Albus about what really happened to Hugo, she updated Lily. It appeared, however, that she had said nothing to Alek as he gazed at them curiously.

"Your brother was poisoned? Do you know who did it?" he inquired as he gazed at the Ravenclaw intently. Something about his interrogative gaze made Rose suddenly feel anxious.

"No… but they do know that it was sometime after he had begun healing. I had seen him just after the attack and he was more than coherent. Someone had come in afterwards and attacked him personally. Scorpius found the poison so it's only a matter of time before we have an answer. Even Professor Longbottom is trying to help. Had Scorpius not found it, we would be lost still," she said gently as she smiled thankfully over at her boyfriend. The Slytherin felt awkward at her sincere, public gratitude, but he was happy that she thought highly of him.

"Oh? He found it? Perhaps he is the culprit? I know you do not get along vell vith everyone," Alek suggested calmly as he took a sip from his goblet. Scorpius growled angrily at the accusation.

"Listen here mate that is some dangerous ground you are treading on. I would watch your mouth," Scorpius snapped. "I would never stoop to murder."

"Hey… yeah not even I think Malfoy is responsible. That's a wild accusation coming from an outsider," Albus defended, frowning deeply.

"Be nice you guys… he doesn't mean anything by it. It's a reasonable assumption," Lily countered, taking Alek's hand into her own. "But I do have to agree with them, Alek, Malfoy would never do something like that."

"My apologies," Alek said simply as he shrugged his shoulders. Rose found his entire demeanor to be odd. Since the end of the second task, the Durmstrang male seemed to be less tolerable and even moody.

"Anyway… Mum and Dad said they would send a letter immediately if there was any change. For now, all we can do is just hope," Rose continued. She missed her brother dearly. He had been gone for nearly two months now. She had promised herself that once the second task was completed that she would throw herself into researching an antidote. Guilt ate at her as she realized that she had become utterly distracted with Scorpius for the last few weeks. Rose was pulled from her thoughts as Scorpius began rubbing her arm comfortingly.

"Your brother is going to be alright, I promise," he said quietly. Blinking back her tears, Rose nodded. She needed to believe that everything was going to be alright.

"Well… enough of all this sadness. Hugo would not want us to be upset on such a happy holiday," Lily said cheerfully, attempting to brighten the mood. Taking a breath, Rose nodded once more before returning to her chocolates as Albus did the same. Besides, the treats were supposed to induce happiness. Scorpius gave Alek a final suspicious look before he finally made himself a plate of food. Suddenly, he stopped as he sniffed the air before frowning.

"What is it boy? Have you caught a scent?" Albus cooed as though speaking to a dog. He found the Slytherin's behavior to be completely mental. Rolling his eyes and scoffing, Scorpius sniffed the air once more, leaning towards Rose.

"I swear to Merlin if you tell me I smell I will knock you out," Rose threatened as she found her boyfriend to be acting strange.

"Salazar, would you two ease up. Don't you smell that?" Scorpius asked before holding his hand up. "Everyone stop what you are doing right this second." Not even sure why he was listening, Albus paused mid bite of a confection as Rose froze as well. Lily had been about to sip her juice when she lowered the goblet. The only one who continued his motions was Alek as he ate his breakfast.

"Smell… what Scorpius?" Rose asked, taking a moment to inhale the air. "I smell… parchment… grass from the Quidditch Pitch…" She blushed as the final scent came to her. "Um… and wood from a fireplace." The final scent was uniquely Scorpius'. It took her a moment to realize what he was getting at. "Oh!"

"Okay… I smell the grass but there's definitely chocolate and butterbeer. What the hell are you smelling Malfoy?" Once more the Slytherin rolled his eyes at how slow and dim witted the Gryffindor was.

"Catch up with the class you prat. Each one of us is smelling something different. It's Amortentia and a strong dose of it. I don't think it's in the chocolates," he expressed. He took his goblet and sniffed it delicately before doing the same for Rose. While he didn't care if Potter was infected, he did his goblet as a courtesy to his Weasley. Waving his hand to the Potter girl, he took her goblet but wrinkled his nose as soon as he did.

"It's yours. Don't drink it. Somebody laced your juice," he declared. "Have you drank any of this?" Lily's eyes widened as she avoided her goblet as though poisoned.

"I-I may have… but I don't feel any different… maybe it was faulty?" she suggested anxiously before looking to Alek. "Did you see anyone near my drink?" Frowning, Alek shook his head.

"No… I have not. Perhaps it was prior to my arrival?" he suggested as he looked around. Rose frowned as well as she watched the male. Once more she could have sworn she saw a look of supreme annoyance on his angelic face. What was going on with him?

"It's not surprising. It is Valentine's Day… we should all be careful," Rose suggested, her gaze lingering on Alek for a moment before looking to Scorpius. "Just curious… but what did you smell?" Instead of being embarrassed as she had, he smirked gently.

"The musky scent of an old book, a freshly brewed up of tea, and cinnamon," he answered but upon his last scent, he gave her an intense look, causing her cheeks to darken once more. Rose recalled Scorpius having admitted to her that her scent was something akin to cinnamon.

"O-Oh…" she said gently, leaning against him once more. Albus frowned as he watched the two.

"I don't get it… but I have a feeling that I don't want to," he determined as he finally finished inhaling his breakfast and treats. Rose cleared her throat as she composed herself.

"Classes should be starting soon. We should get ready," she announced as she stood up. Due to the leniency of the headmaster, there were only morning classes followed by a trip to Hogsmeade. She was quite curious as to what Scorpius was planning but she wouldn't pester him. When they were alone later on, she would give him her small gift that was a token of her affection.

Scorpius stood up as well, gathering his parcels and stuffing the wanted ones into his bag before he wrapped his arm around his girlfriend once more. Pleasantly, the first class was Slytherins and Ravenclaws which meant that he got to spend an extended amount of time with Rose. However, it was the only class they would share for the remainder of the day.

"Now, don't think that because we are dating that I am going to let you beat me academically," Scorpius teased as he began walking towards the exit of the hall. Rose scoffed before laughing gently.

"Honey, you haven't been able to beat me yet and we weren't dating," she countered, enjoying his lightheartedness. It was still taking her some time to adjust to them publicly being an item but every day it got easier and felt more natural. At first, she had been worried that it was his adrenaline that caused him to declare his affections. With them being together for a few weeks now, she knew that to not be the case.

"Hm… we shall see won't we," he said with a smirk before he grew serious. "I don't trust the Durmstrang guy. There is something off about him." Rose was surprised at the change of subject but she had to admit that she agreed with him.

"I was starting to think that was just me. Perhaps the tournament is getting to him now that we are tied?" she suggested. Scorpius shrugged, clearly not satisfied with her answer.

"Maybe… but if he does anything to you, you'll tell me won't you?" he asked softly, pausing in the middle of the hall they had entered, to face her, his hands on either side of her arms. Rose was once more stunned at his seriousness.

"Of course… but why would you think he would do something to me? I've hardly spoken to him," she inquired as she looked to her Slytherin. Worry was etched definitively across his aristocratic features.

"Just a gut feeling. If he even threatens to do anything to you, I will kill him," he said darkly, causing a shiver to course down the Ravenclaw's spine. It was when he behaved like this that she was reminded that he did come from a dark family.

"As flattering as that is, I don't think you have anything to worry about," Rose declared quietly, truly hoping that was the case.

"Let us hope not," Scorpius affirmed with a sense of finality before he smiled gently, brushing some Rose's fiery locks from her face before he cupped her cheek. Without another word, he leaned in to kiss her sweetly albeit protectively. Rose couldn't help but sigh and melt into his touch, lightly gripping the front of his robes. She would have never guessed in a thousand years that Scorpius Malfoy could be so sweet.

"Mh… we're gonna be late," Rose complained gently against his lips after she returned his kiss for a moment. Smiling teasingly, the Slytherin placed a feather light kiss to her nose before pulling back to gaze at her.

"I could teach you far more interesting things than this class," he teased, half hoping she would take him up on her offer. Over the past few weeks, they had done nothing more than intensive snogging sessions. He respected her space and speed of which they proceeded but that didn't mean he didn't crave her with everything he was.

"As tempting as that is, Mr. Malfoy, I do wish to attend class," Rose whispered, surprised at how much she had to fight herself to not give in. She desired him in a manner that was terrifying. Never had she been with anyone who made her feel like she was burning from the inside out just from a simple kiss. She hoped that she might give Scorpius that special part of her but she wasn't ready yet. Their relationship was still incredibly new and while she did trust him, she had standards.

"As you wish," Scorpius said simply, a sincere smile in place. Once more he slid his arm around her waist and proceeded to their class.

Instead of sitting on opposite ends of the room as opposing houses typically did, Rose and Scorpius sat together, well aware of the whispers that started immediately. Despite having been together officially for a few weeks, they were seemingly still an object of interest. With it being Valentine's Day, it seemed to be amplified. There was no mistaking the envious, hate filled glances of several female Slytherins. Rose expected to be attacked by one of them more so than Alek. The women were more of a threat and she knew that Scorpius had enough honor that he would never strike or hex a woman but that was fine. Rose was more than capable of handling herself. Unable to contain herself, she shot a group of a women a smirk as she leaned her head against her boyfriend's shoulder.

"You're terrible," Scorpius pronounced as he caught Rose's gesture. It was amusing and flattering all at once. His Weasley was something special indeed.

"I blame you. You're an awful influence," she teased before composing herself and readying for class. While Scorpius did the same, he also dug around in his bag and produced one of the boxes of chocolate. He had eaten breakfast but had yet to indulge in any sweets. A little known fact of himself was that he had a rather large sweet tooth. Rose provided him with a disapproving look.

"You're going to get chocolate all over your notes," she complained but it fell upon deaf ears. Scorpius continued indulging in his sweets. With a frown, Rose stole the lid and looked it over, curious as to whom had given him the gift.

"Jealous are we?" Scorpius inquired with a smirk as he saw his girlfriend's frown deepen.

"There's no name on this. How do you know it's safe?"

"I told you, there's a way to tell if it's laced. First of all, you can smell it, and second of all, I always run a detection spell on everything." Rose's frown melted away as she looked at him, rather impressed.

"That's some advanced spell work. Alright, I trust you," she said simply as she returned the lid to him.

"Good to know that I pass your inspection," he teased once more. Rose just rolled her eyes before turning her attention to the professor.

Despite their banter, she was more than thrilled that Scorpius felt so comfortable around her. Every day she was discovering more and more about her Slytherin lover. Never would she have pegged him for having a sweet tooth but sure enough, he contently snacked on his chocolate throughout the duration of their class. Granted, he wasn't the only one, given the kind of holiday it was. Regardless, it was uncharacteristic of him. Typically, he was incredibly composed and refined yet with an aloof air about him. Now, he was completely at ease and relaxed. Rose's heart warmed as the knowledge that it was because of her accepting him for who he really was and not who he was supposed to represent.

Before long, their class had come to an end and the couple gathered their items and exited the room together. Rose hadn't even been aware that she could enjoy her classes any more than she did. Being able to share them with Scorpius, instead of combating with him, was absolutely wonderful. A smile small graced her features at her thoughts but it quickly melted away as she realized that something was suddenly off about Scorpius. He had grown paler than usual and was blinking rapidly as though trying to clear his vision. Groaning, he stopped walking and gripped her shoulder firmly.

"Scorpius? What's wrong? Are you alright?" she asked, her voice laced with worry as she faced her boyfriend. Gently she placed her hand against his forehead, frowning more deeply as she realized that his skin had become clammy.

"Ngh… not particularly… my stomach is killing me," he complained before groaning once more. "I-I'll catch up with you later!"

Before Rose could protest, the Slytherin dashed off in the direction of the nearest loo. Torn between waiting around and seeing if he was alright and heading to her next class, Rose settled on leaving Scorpius be. She didn't want to appear suffocating and he had said that he would find her later. Perhaps breakfast or the chocolate wasn't sitting right with him. He had consumed a rather large amount after all. Shaking her head disdainfully, she prepared to chide Scorpius later as she often did with Albus when he made himself sick from eating too much.

Hoisting her bag over her shoulder, she was about to take her leave when a shrill scream echoed throughout the corridor. Apparently she wasn't the only one to become startled as several other nearby students looked about in alarm. Her curiosity got the better of her and she found herself following a group of Hufflepuffs towards the scene. A small crowd had gathered in front of the men's loo but what was most surprising was that it was a girl causing a scene.

The girl in question was incredibly frantic and practically hysterical. Her long blonde hair was disheveled as though she had been pulling at it in frustration. Rose didn't recall having seen her before but considering that the woman was apparently a Slytherin, judging by her robes, it was no surprise. In fact, her entire outfit was odd as it seemed to be several sizes too big for her tiny frame. Her grey eyes scanned the crowd in panic before they met with Rose's. Recognition burned bright as the woman gathered herself and pushed through the crowd, desperately making her way over to the red head.

"Rose!" she cried before grabbing the Ravenclaw's hand and tugging her away from everyone and everything. With the Slytherin woman having left the scene, the crowd of students began dispersing despite being utterly confused. They weren't the only ones that was for sure.

"W-Wait! Hold on!" Rose yelled as she was drug along by the mysterious woman who seemingly knew her. The only Slytherin she associated with was her now boyfriend and that was it. She didn't even recognize the woman as having been in any of her classes either but she did seem to be a seventh year.

"We need to go somewhere private to talk," the woman responded hurriedly before eventually ducking into an empty classroom, panting softly. Her large robes had fallen off her shoulders and her partially unbuttoned shirt billowed around her, revealing her pale skin and cleavage. The slacks she had been wearing were also several sizes too large and barely hanging on her hips.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Rose demanded after the woman had finally stopped dragging her along. "If this has to do with your little Scorpius fan club then you are going to have to just damn well get over the fact that we are together!"

Her anger was tangible at the idea that she was now being ambushed because of obsessive females. While she wouldn't have put it above any of the crazed women to attack her, that didn't mean she wasn't prepared to defend herself. Honestly, the whole situation was insane and, had Scorpius not been a Malfoy, she wouldn't have believed it. Rose gripped her wand and aimed it at the Slytherin before her, once more demanding answers.

The blonde haired woman held her hands up in defense, her eyes growing wide as she tried to calm the red head down. This wasn't going well in the slightest bit and she was panicking once more. Taking a deep breath to try and regain some sort of composure, the Slytherin leveled her gaze with Rose's before she began speaking.

"Look… you're not going to believe this but I need you to. I need help… I… think I was poisoned…" she explained, lowering her hands as she gave the Ravenclaw a pleading look. Rose contemplated the woman's words, unsure if this was some sort of prank.

"And why do you need my help? Why not go see the nurse? You're a Slytherin, it's common knowledge that you don't get along with most of the houses and, more specifically, my family," Rose declared, her eyes searching the woman suspiciously. Scorpius had made sure that, over the years, his housemates helped in making her life difficult.

"B-Because… it's… embarrassing…" the woman mumbled, her cheeks turning bright red. This did very little in swaying Rose. In fact, it only further confused her.

"You're not making any sense. Who the hell are you? What do you think you were poisoned with?" the red head inquired, now pinching the bridge of her nose. The woman wasn't showing any signs of being poisoned. In fact, aside from seeming frantic, she appeared to be more than fine. It was a good long moment of the blonde warring with herself before her cheeks darkened further and she spoke.

"Rose… it's me…Scorpius…" she mumbled nearly incoherently. Rose blinked a few times as she allowed her words to wash over her. Just what in the hell sort of prank was this?

"You've got to be kidding me…" she groaned before exhaling deeply. "Is this some kind of prank? Do you think I'm that stupid to believe such a thing? What the hell do you really want from me? Who put you up to this?!" The Ravenclaw was quickly losing her patience as she stormed over to the woman and aimed her wand in her face once more.

"Rose, I'm dead serious!" Scorpius exclaimed, smacking her wand out of his…er, "her" face. The fact that he would have to refer to himself as a female, even temporarily, was beyond embarrassing. If word got out that Scorpius Malfoy had been transformed into a woman, he would never live it down. The thought of what his grandfather would do had him honestly terrified which suddenly sobered him up. He would have to make Rose believe him.

Rose shook her head as she mumbled incoherently. Part of her wanted to believe the woman in front of her and the other half just couldn't wrap her mind around the idea. Just what sort of "poison" would cause such a transformation? Perhaps it was a form of Polyjuice potion but that was even if what the Slytherin was claiming was even true. Otherwise, this was an incredibly terrible and unbelievable prank. Sighing heavily once more, she lowered her wand yet again.

"Say that I attempt to believe you, tell me something that only Scorpius would know about me," she commanded as she searched the woman's face for some sort of truth to her words. If she tried, Rose supposed she could see some physical similarities between the woman and her boyfriend, but she was getting ahead of herself.

Scorpius couldn't help but smile a bit as she looked to her girlfriend. She knew that, without a doubt, there was much that Rose had confided in her that no one else would know of. Despite being incredibly close to her family, the Ravenclaw felt the need to always be strong. Scorpius was the only one who ever really saw her being vulnerable. It was endearing that Rose felt so secure with her.

"When you produced your patronus during the second task, you admitted to me that you had been thinking about our dance at the Yule Ball. You said that it was the happiest moment in your life," the Slytherin answered, her smile widening a bit more at the thought. It was honestly the happiest moment in her life as well.

Rose's eyes grew wide as her jaw dropped. Scorpius had been the only one she had spoken to about her patronus and it had been the night of the second task when she required him to answer her questions. For a moment she couldn't speak. Standing in front of her was the female version of Scorpius Malfoy. A million different thoughts ran through her mind as she once more tried to comprehend the situation.

"S-Scorpius?! What the hell happened to you?!" she gasped finally, approaching her "boyfriend" and looking "him" over. Suddenly the oversized uniform made sense. Scorpius exhaled deeply as she looked to the red head, thankful that she now believed her.

"I have no idea… one moment I'm me and the next… well as you can see this is the result," she explained. Rose frowned once more as she tried to recall the chain of events.

"How are you feeling? Right after class you suddenly felt sick…" Rose speculated before gasping sharply. "Your chocolate!" This time it was Scorpius' turn to frown.

"My chocolate? What are you talking about?" the blonde inquired as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Instantly she became distracted as she realized that she was no longer flat chested but instead endowed with perky breasts. She tried crossing her arms above and then below them until she gave up, unable to find a comfortable position. It was one thing to be able to touch and indulge in the breasts of another woman and an entirely different thing to be dealing with her own. This was especially strange when Scorpius did not normally have them. Rose scoffed at her distraction.

"Can you please focus for a moment? Jeez, why are you men so obsessed with breasts? They're just fat," she complained as she suddenly felt self-conscious. Scorpius was more endowed than herself and even curvier. How ironic that her boyfriend made a more attractive woman than she did.

"It's hard wired into our DNA. They are more than fat. They are heaven," Scorpius declared with a smirk, causing Rose to roll her eyes irritably. "Hey, you asked. Cut me some slack. It's not every day that you suddenly grow boobs. I'm adjusting."

"Yes… I'm sure you are," Rose mumbled before returning to the topic at hand. "You started feeling sick after you ate that unmarked chocolate in class. I'll be that whomever sent that to you had something to do with this. You said you normally scan your chocolate for Amortentia, why not anything else?"

"Because, no one has ever tried poisoning me with anything else in the past. I'm far too important to get rid of. Most women just want me to be theirs so that they can have access to the Malfoy name and the benefits that follow. What the hell is this then? I've never heard of anything turning someone into the opposite gender aside from Polyjuice potion. I'm pretty sure that had that been used, I would have tasted it. You can't hide that taste or so I'm told," she explained with a shudder. She had never tried Polyjuice potion but she had known those who had.

"Perhaps it's been altered or maybe it's something else entirely. I don't know…I could speak to Professor Brewer and Professor Deming. Obviously I wouldn't tell them it was you but I could inquire about potential spells or potions that could have this effect," Rose suggested. Scorpius sighed heavily as she ran her fingers through her now lengthy hair.

"Yeah… okay I guess… if it is as variation of Polyjuice, I should be fine in an hour though, right?" she asked hopefully.

"Mh, yeah if it is Polyjuice. If not, who knows how long you could be stuck like this. What are you going to do?"

"What do you mean 'what am I going to do?'? I'm going to attend classes. Female or not, I can't allow my grades to slip," Scorpius answered, causing Rose to gawk.

"Are you serious? I can take notes for you. Aren't you worried that someone is going to find out who you really are?"

"The only person who knows who I really am is you. Do you plan on telling everyone?" Scorpius asked with a grin, knowing damn well that Rose would never do something so sinister to him. The red head sighed heavily before shaking her head.

"You know I wouldn't do that. Alright, fine, but we need to make adjustments. For one, you cannot go around half dressed," Rose stated before waving her wand and transfiguring Scorpius' uniform to fit her better. As soon as she was finished, Scorpius immediately began undoing several buttons on her uniform, which had been fixed thanks to Rose, so that she created a V-shape neckline. Rose gave the blonde a disdainful look.

"Hey, it's for the sake of fashion. I maybe a woman but I am not a prude," she declared with a smirk. The Ravenclaw wrinkled her nose before looking down at herself, noticing that all of her buttons were done up neatly. Realizing her mistake, Scorpius immediately looked abashed. "N-Not that it looks bad on you or anything."

"Shut up, Scorpius," she hissed, feeling slightly hurt. Her heart sank further as she realized something else. "We… aren't going to be able to spend Valentine's Day together, are we? I know you had plans… but now those are probably ruined." Her voice was laced with sadness as she looked down in disappointment.

Scorpius felt her heart ache painfully at Rose's reaction. She had forgotten all about the holiday already which was terrible seeing as how she was supposed to be coming up with something special for Rose. Approaching her girlfriend, the Slytherin gently tilted her chin up to gaze at her.

"Hey, we will figure this out and we will spend the holiday together, I promise," she assured her, earning a small smile from the other woman. Scorpius prayed that she would be able to keep her word.

"Alright… now you're going to need an alias if you're going to try and behave normally. I think Sarah is a fitting name," Rose suggested, earning a shrug from Scorpius.

"Yeah okay, doesn't really matter all that much to me."

"Oh so fashion matters to you but your name doesn't?" the red head inquired as she crossed her arms over her chest. Scorpius grinned in response.

"Well, hopefully, no one will be talking to me and thus not needing my name. People will always be looking at me," she declared, earning yet another eye roll from Rose.

"Alright, alright. Come on, there is still a short bit of time before class and there are some last minute things you are gonna need," she said before gently pushing "Sarah" out of the abandoned classroom.

"Eh? What else could I possibly need?" the Slytherin inquired as she looked down at herself. Yet again, Rose shook her head in disdain. For being such a womanizer, the blonde knew very little about women.

"Well, for one, you can't exactly go parading around without a bra. These uniforms make that fact too obvious," she mumbled. This time Sarah arched her brow questioningly.

"Oh? I suppose that's a valid point… I guess…" This whole situation was becoming far too strange for the Slytherin. Being male one moment and female the next was overwhelming. He was having to endure far too much for such a temporary situation. At least, it sure as hell better be temporary. The idea of becoming a woman permanently was terrifying. He was rather attached to his male body and specific anatomy.

A short while later and Rose had Sarah standing in the middle of the Champion room as she dug around in her chest for an extra set of undergarments. Locating a matching black, lacey set, the Ravenclaw handed the items to her female counterpart. For a moment, Sarah just held the items with a smirk on her face.

"Oh? So you do know how to dress like a sexy woman underneath all the prudishness," she teased as she winked at her girlfriend. Blushing lightly, Rose swatted at her.

"H-Hey cut that out! Just go change before we are late to class," she commanded, earning a soft snicker from Sarah as the blonde began stripping right there.

Rose was about to avert her eyes when she recalled that Sarah was now a woman and there was nothing to be embarrassed about. At least, that's what she thought until the woman was standing naked in front of her with a body to be more than envious of. She was perfect and curvy in all of the right places. While she knew that this was just a temporary situation, she couldn't help but be jealous. While she was still feminine herself, she didn't look that amazing.

As soon as Sarah was finished undressing, she gave pause as she saw a sad light come into Rose's eyes. It confused her as she wasn't sure what it had been caused from. Looking down at herself and then back to the Ravenclaw, her eyes softened apologetically.

"I was just teasing before… I didn't mean to upset you," she said gently. Rose snapped out of her reverie and offered the woman a small smile.

"No… it's not that… it's just… even as a woman you look far more incredible than me. I can't help but be a little jealous," she admitted, her cheeks flushing bright as she looked down. Sarah's eyes widened in disbelief before she reached out and cupped Rose's cheeks, forcing her to meet her gaze.

"Don't you dare think like that, Rose Weasley," she began sternly but affectionately. "You are the most incredible woman I have ever met and you are stunningly gorgeous. Just because you don't flaunt it like most of the slags out there, doesn't mean that you don't possess beauty. I love you just the way that you are. Don't you dare feel inferior. You're better than that."

Rose felt tears well in her eyes at her sincerity. She never would have thought that she would hear such comforting and sincere words from the Slytherin before her. It was overwhelming. Nodding gently, she silently promised that she would quite feeling inferior. If Scorpius loved her the way that she was, that was good enough.

"Thank you… you should finish getting dressed now," Rose said gently as she pulled back so that the woman could do just that.

Sarah was able to slide into her knickers no problem but when it came to the bra, she glared at the things as though it was morally offending. After a few moments of struggling to slide it on, get her breasts in place, and attempt to snap the clasps, she huffed angrily. Taking the damn contraptions off were a simple breeze and something that she could achieve with a simple pinch. Putting them on was a whole different story.

"These things were created by the devil himself!" Sarah hissed, glaring at her girlfriend whom had burst into hysterical laughter. "Sure, sure, laugh it up." Rose continued on for another moment before gasping for air and attempting to compose herself.

"S-Sorry… it's just… really funny," she giggled before clearing her throat, a smile still in place. "Let me help you."

A few more moments passed and Sarah was fully dressed, though looking mildly uncomfortable and slightly irritated. Who would have thought that getting dressed was such an escapade? She was lucky that Rose wasn't attempting to slather makeup on her. Sarah was already more than ready to return to her male self where everything was fare more simple.

"There, you're all set. Now we need to head to class. I'll see you afterwards," Rose declared, her next class not being with the Slytherins.

With a heavy sigh, Sarah conceded and the duo set off for their respective classes. Sarah prayed that everything went smoothly and she could glide along unnoticed. While Scorpius Malfoy would be taking a hit in attendance, Sarah would have to come up with a cover story. Considering that she was acting on behalf of a Malfoy, it wouldn't be that hard.

xXx

Rose was anxiously waiting for Sarah in the Great Hall for lunch. She had hoped that the day proceeded so far without too much trouble for her Slytherin. Having not had Professor Brewer for class yet, she had not been able to ask about the poison that Sarah had been afflicted with. She planned on seeing the man after lunch in hopes of getting answers. If he didn't provide any, then she would ask Professor Deming during her next class. All of this would be confidential of course because she knew that Sarah would be mortified if it got out that Scorpius Malfoy had been transformed. Just as she was about to go and search for said Slytherin, she came rushing through the hall, huffing and puffing.

"Rose! Stop him!" she shrieked as she hurried over to her girlfriend, hiding behind her. Rose's eyes grew wide as she tried to look behind her at the woman.

"What are you going on about?" she inquired but she didn't have to wait very long before she figured out why. Albus came striding over, a gleeful look on his face as he approached his cousin.

"I think I'm in love!" he declared obnoxiously. Frowning, Rose gave her cousin a strange look.

"Did you consume tainted chocolate too?" she inquired, finding his behavior to be odd.

While his being loud and annoying wasn't odd, it was his proclamation. Albus had dated on and off throughout the years, sometimes being serious and other times not so much. After his last relationship, he had declared that he would no longer date again unless it was going to be very serious. To hear that he supposedly fancied someone and so instantaneously was ridiculous.

"I have not had any candy since this morning and you know I only eat what our family sends us," he explained as he tucked his hands into his pockets and continued grinning.

"So… Sarah what exactly is going on?" Rose asked as she looked over her shoulder at the woman who was crouching down and attempting to stay hidden.

"This prat won't leave me alone! I forgot I had Transfiguration with the damn Gryffindors. The git laid eyes on me and hasn't left me alone sense. Even sat next to me and everything. Do you know how embarrassing it was? I'm a Slytherin for Merlin's sake!" Sarah explained, shuddering severely. She didn't want any man interested in her, for obvious reasons, but she especially didn't want Potter's attention.

"Al, don't you think you're being a bit silly? You know nothing about this woman and she clearly is terrified by your persistence," Rose began, finding the scenario to be both comical and disastrous. Albus gave pause but only briefly.

"Okay… I apologize for coming off strong… but I really do fancy her," he said with his grin still in place. "You don't have to keep hiding. I'll behave." Sarah poked her head out from behind Rose and glared once more at Potter.

"You stay over there. If you come anywhere near me, I won't hesitate to hex you," she threatened as she moved to stand beside Rose. She gave her girlfriend a pleading "please help me" sort of look.

"Um, Al, you do know that she is a Slytherin right? They have never been your type," Rose pointed out, attempting to deter her cousin. The droll look he provided her proved that tactic to be unsuccessful.

"You do realize how hypocritical that is, right? You're dating a Slytherin. Speaking of which, where is he? I would have thought the two of you would have been eating each other's face all day," he declared with a shudder. Rose flushed gently as her eye darted over to Sarah for a moment.

"Um… he's busy… with whatever plans he has for Valentine's Day," she lied before attempting once more to deter him. "How about the fact that you don't know Sarah at all?" Once more, Albus was not deterred.

"That's something that can be easily fixed. Besides, she seems to know you quite well which must mean something. You don't like just anyone and if her being a Slytherin doesn't bother you, it doesn't bother me," he explained as he looked to Sarah with a wink.

"Ugh, bugger off Potter!" the Slytherin snapped. This was honestly her worst nightmare. Being a woman was bad enough without Potter trying to jump her bones. She shuddered once more in disgust at the thought. "I have no interest in you."

"Aw, come on, don't you know whose son I am?" he asked, pulling the family card. Rose's eyes grew incredibly wide as he brought up his family name. Albus was constantly trying to run from being related to his father. He wasn't ashamed of him, but he wanted to be seen as his own man. The fact that he was pulling a rather Malfoy-ish move had her stunned. Sarah was not amused as she scoffed.

"Oh yes, wonderful Harry Potter, who doesn't know your damn family? It's not like you're a Malfoy though," she stated with a smirk, looking at her nails with boredom. Albus gasped out loud at the verbal strike.

"Come on! I'm better than that git and his family any day! Don't tell me you're one of his fangirls!" he groaned, truly detesting the thought. Sarah smirked widely at this, unable to resist.

"Hm? Oh yes, he is absolutely brilliant. Fit as hell and gorgeous. Can't imagine any man better than him. I would shag him every day if I could," she professed, her smirk widening. The look on Potter's face was priceless.

"Rose! Do you hear how she's speaking of your boyfriend?!" he gasped, pulling Rose from her stunned silence. Considering that this was actually Scorpius beside her, she forgot that she was supposed to be defending her territory.

"Sarah, cut it out," she commanded firmly. It was rather conceded of her to be speaking so highly of herself but honestly, she would have expected nothing less from a Malfoy. She supposed she couldn't help herself. It must be hardwired into the Malfoy DNA.

"I'm just being honest," Sarah declared with a shrug, unable to contain herself.

"Well I'm going to change your mind, one way or another," Albus promised before he sat down at the table to indulge in lunch. "By the way, I know I haven't seen you here before. Are you a new student?" Sarah groaned as Potter refused to let the conversation die.

"I'm here as a representative of the Malfoy family seeing as how Scorpius will be missing classes due to some sort of event he is planning," Sarah lied flawlessly. She had given a similar speech to her professors and for the most part they accepted it because of the Malfoy name. Some of the others were incredibly annoyed but had no choice but to comply.

"An event? Wow, Rose, guess that's the perks of being with a Malfoy," Albus speculated, watching as his cousin sighed gently.

Rose knew the truth and wished that she could believe what Sarah was saying. She didn't doubt that Scorpius had something planned but if they didn't figure out a way to change him back, it wasn't going to matter. Guilt ate at her for feeling so selfish. Her main concern needed to be Scorpius, not whether or not they were doing something special for Valentine's Day. It was incredibly silly but she had never done anything for the holiday mostly because she never had anyone to spend it with. Scorpius meant the world to her and she just wanted the best for their relationship.

"Well, it definitely doesn't have to be anything that crazy and spectacular. What matters most to me is that we get to spend time with one another and enjoy the day. That would make me happiest," Rose said softly, looking to Sarah with a genuine smile.

It felt as though a weight had been lifted off of Sarah's chest at Rose's admittance. While he knew that she wasn't looking for something over the top, that didn't mean that she didn't deserve it. Her girlfriend deserved the absolute best and as a Malfoy, she had the means to make sure that it happened. Now, more than ever, she wanted to make the holiday special for her Weasley. Even if she was stuck as a woman for days she would make sure that he saw her smile.

"Sounds like crazy and spectacular is exactly what you're getting," Albus teased as he dug into his lunch but with much more manners than usual. After all, he had a woman to impress.

Rose noticed the behavior change and groaned gently. This was only going to end terribly. Albus was determined to chase after and fancy Sarah, whom was actually Scorpius. Desperately, she wanted to tell Albus what was going on but she knew that Sarah wouldn't let her. It would be absolutely mortifying and she was sure that her cousin would use it against the Slytherin for the future. Rose and Sarah followed suit and also sat down at the table to eat lunch.

"So… have you seen either of the professors yet?" Sarah inquired, not entirely sure of Rose's schedule. The sooner they had answers, the sooner she could return to being a man again.

"Mh… no, not yet. I have Defense Against the Dark Arts next but I was thinking about stopping by Professor Brewer's office right after lunch. We have his class towards the end of the day otherwise," she answered as she began slowly eating her lunch.

"Right… I'll let you handle that then. Don't wanna embarrass myself," Sarah mumbled quietly so that only Rose could hear. So far Rose was the only one who knew of his particular ailment and he wanted to keep it that way.

"So Rose… if Sarah is a representative of the Malfoy family, how do you know her?" Albus inquired after a moment, realizing that the two women seemed rather close and friendly despite supposedly just meeting.

"Uh… well… we had class together this morning… Scorpius left right beforehand," she answered, looking down at her food as she spoke so he wouldn't realize that she was lying. After what happened between her and Albus after the last time she had been caught in a lie, she didn't want them to be on bad terms again.

"Oh… I suppose that makes sense," he speculated slowly as he looked back and forth between his cousin and newfound crush. There was something that drew him to Sarah; something familiar. While she had been quiet in class, he could tell that she was absolutely brilliant. Her being a Slytherin didn't matter. Honestly, with Rose accepting Malfoy as she did, it opened his eyes to being less judgmental.

"And I'm only here temporarily so there is no use in attempting to gain my affections," Sarah declared sternly, taking a break in eating her food to speak. As much as she would have loved for Potter to be deterred, he wasn't.

"You never know what could happen. Besides, you are wearing Slytherin robes. Why go through the efforts of sorting you into a house if you are only going to be here a few days?" he speculated, grinning widely in response to Sarah's now flabbergasted expression. The blonde honestly hadn't thought of that and no one had questioned her thus far.

"W-Well… i-it's so I don't stick out. The Malfoys have been in Slytherin for generations so it is only natural that I don the uniform," the Slytherin countered, hoping it was a verifiable enough excuse. Once more Potter simply shrugged, unabashed.

Rose bit her lower lip uneasily as she looked to Sarah with a worried look. Her cousin wasn't just playing around. She could tell that he was being genuine even if his mannerisms seemed rather ostentatious. She didn't want to hurt Al but she also didn't want to embarrass Scorpius. Inwardly she groaned at the dilemma. Suddenly, she didn't feel as hungry any more.

"I'm gonna go see Professor Brewer now. I'll see you in class, Sarah," Rose declared as she stood up. A wide eyed, panicked look spread across Sarah's face at the idea of being alone with Potter.

"On second thought, I'll come with you, Rose. I'll just hang around outside the classroom," she said quickly, standing up as well.

It also made her nervous that the red head was braving the dungeons alone and during a time when most students were in the hall. Recalling the attack on Rose in said corridors, had her blood boiling. Her fellow housemates had attacked the Ravenclaw because she was her enemy at the time. Now, Sarah was concerned about those whom were against their being together would do. She hated that the school no longer felt safe. It was just another reason that she was finding the Malfoy name to be a burden rather than a blessing.

"I've got time before class as well, I'll join you two," Albus professed as he too stood up. Sarah groaned deeply as she rubbed her forehead. The prat didn't know when to quit. Rose offered her cousin a weak smile.

"Yeah, okay, but you need to behave. Quite berating Sarah," she demanded gently before heading out of the hall with the duo in two.

Albus appeared over the moon at being allowed to come along. He politely stood next to Sarah, a respectful distance away, but not before gathering up her book and bags to hold. Sarah was about to protest when she realized that it would do no good and that it did actually benefit her. Shrugging, she allowed Potter to do as he pleased temporarily. While he felt that he was doing something chivalrous, she recognized it as servitude which made her gleeful inside. Rose passed her a disapproving look before continuing on their journey.

"So why are you seeing Professor Brewer? I don't recall the last time you ever needed help on an assignment," Albus inquired.

"Um… just some extracurricular research that I am conducting. I wanted his opinion on something," she answered without looking at him. It wasn't entirely a lie.

The rest of the walk to the dungeons was filled with bickering and sporadic moments of silence. Albus was desperately trying to get Sarah to answer questions about herself while the Slytherin would in turn either insult the Gryffindor or provide curt, vague answers. Rose could feel a headache forming because of the two. The sooner Scorpius returned to being a man, the better it would be for everyone. Hopefully, Albus wouldn't be too upset and heart broken. Knowing her cousin, he might turn to anger but considering what he had put her though prior to the second task, she hoped he would be reasonable.

True to her word, Sarah stayed out side of the Potions classroom with Albus dutifully at her side. Rose shook her head exhaustedly before sliding into the room. Immediately, she was greeted with the scent of a brewing potion and upon further inspection, she could see a cauldron simmering at the back of the room. Professor Brewer was dressed in his traditional green robes and windlessly stirring the potion. Hearing her entrance, he turned and smiled.

"Ah, Miss Weasley, what can I do for you, lass?" he inquired, his Irish accent as thick as ever. Exhaling deeply, Rose returned the smile and took solace in the momentary reprieve from her cousin and female Scorpius. It had already been quite the eventful day and despite it being Valentine's Day, she was ready for it to be over.

"Yes, professor, I had a few questions concerning something I was looking into," she began as she moved over to him. The professor checked his potion once more before making sure it was safe to leave alone. Leaning against the table, he crossed his arms over his chest and nodded for her to continue. "Well… you see, today is Valentine's Day and because of that…. Well you know chocolate and candies tend to become tainted…"

Professor Brewer chuckled lightly as he shook his head knowingly. He and Madame Rosaline were typically busy during this holiday with treating the unfortunate students that had found themselves with laced candies. Despite their and other professors' best efforts, the students refused to relent. Aside from screening all confections upon arrival, he supposed there wasn't much more that could be done. Perhaps he could convince Professor Deming to conduct a class on detection spells prior to the holiday.

"Ah yes… I do believe it is your family's joke shop that makes some of these items more easily available. Amortentia is incredibly difficult to brew and I wouldn't expect a standard student would be able to concoct this. Whom was affected this time? Madame Rosaline would have an antidote," he explained as he watched the Ravenclaw. She shifted uneasily.

"Well… it's not Amortentia, sir. In fact… I'm not entirely sure what it is and the person afflicted prefers to remain anonymous as it is embarrassing," she replied with a sheepish grin. The professor arched a red brow questioningly.

"Oh? Now you have me intrigued. You are one of the brightest students I have the pleasure of teaching. If it fails your understanding then I am quite curious. I hope that, considering that you are here and not the hospital wing, that it is not dangerous?"

"Oh no, nothing like that. You see… the person who was affected was originally male and has now been turned into a female. It happened this morning so it has already been a few hours so I don't believe it's Polyjuice," she clarified. Professor Brewer's eyes widened before he chuckled once more.

"Aye, I would imagine that is rather embarrassing. No, it does not seem dangerous. You will be surprised to find that this is not the first time I have heard of this happening. Much like you are trying to keep it quiet, previous occurrences have been dealt with in a similar manner. It's more of a harmless prank than anything but definitely not something I would have expected on Valentine's Day. It would appear that someone is less than thrilled with something your friend did," he explained as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It's a variation of Polyjuice. It should wear off on its own. Though I would have thought by at least an hour. How did your friend consume this? Chocolate I am supposing?"

"Yes, sir. It was an unmarked box so we have no idea who it came from," she answered, frowning a bit as he confirmed that it was related to Polyjuice. By that theory, it should have worn off. Was something wrong?

"Ah, I am assuming he consumed most, if not, all of it," he speculated, earning a nod from Rose. "Due to how much chocolate he ate, the effects have been extended. I'm sure by the end of the day your friend will return to his normal, male, self," he assured her with a gentle smile. Rose breathed a sigh of relief. At least Scorpius wouldn't be a woman forever.

"Thank you so much, professor. I'm glad that it was just a prank. Though, I wish I knew who it was from," she said with a frown.

"Well… when you discover who it is… remember that you are Head Girl," he warned with a knowing smile. It wasn't a secret the kind of temper that possessed. Rose flushed a bit at the warning.

"Yes, sir," she mumbled before smiling and taking her leave.

Rose halted in her steps as she observed the scene before her. Albus looked as though he was pestering Sarah with his continued questions and the Slytherin looked as though she was going to pull her hair out or hex the Gryffindor. Honestly, she felt bad for the both of them. It was a shame that her cousin was so damn stubborn. Sarah's face lit up when she saw Rose and hurriedly dashed over to her.

"Please make your cousin leave me alone!" she hissed. Albus pouted in response as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I am behaving just like you asked me to. All I did was ask her some questions," he complained. Sarah rolled her eyes.

"I told you not to get attached to me! I'm not staying and I'm not going to be with you!" she growled, wishing that she could pummel some sense into Potter. However, she knew that was impossible. Had that been the case, she would have been able to save Rose some heartache from her cousin's previous stupidity.

"Albus, seriously, leave Sarah alone. She's not interested in you and you're becoming a pest now," Rose declared sternly, once more trying to make her cousin see reason.

"Alright, I know that I wasn't always the most supportive of you and Malfoy but can't you please be on my side?" he begged. Sarah was a Slytherin so he figured that she would play hard to get, especially with him being Gryffindor and a Potter. However, he had been hoping, with the two of them being alone, that she would give given in just a bit so that he could get to know her. Apparently she was just as stubborn as he was persistent.

"Al, it's not like that. Don't you think that you're being a bit obsessive?" Rose inquired, frowning a bit at her cousin's begging.

"No, I am not! Besides, she was the one flirting with me in class!" he defended, looking to Sarah with a frown. Arching a brow, Rose turned her attention to Sarah at this information that she conveniently decided to leave out. The Slytherin flushed slightly and looked elsewhere.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," she mumbled, desperately avoiding her girlfriend's gaze. This was definitely not going to end well.

"Sarah… what is he talking about?" Rose asked firmly, wanting to get to the bottom of this. If Sarah had been messing with her cousin's emotions, she was going to hex her. Venturing a careful glance at the Ravenclaw, Sarah swallowed hard as she saw her rising temper.

"Okay fine… I may have… flirted a bit… I suppose… but I was just kidding! I didn't expect him to take it seriously!" she blurted out frantically, not wishing to have Rose pissed at her.

"See?! She said that she recognized who I was and couldn't pass up the chance to speak with me!" Albus continued, a small smile forming on his face as Sarah finally admitted the truth. He was tired of appearing like an obsessive loon.

Rose's mouth fell open as she gaped at the Slytherin. Sarah had said that she wanted to remain quiet and avoid any and all attention. Why would she go and antagonize her cousin like that? For a moment, the red head was completely speechless as she attempted to make sense of the situation.

"Sarah…" she growled after a moment, causing the blonde to jump. "You had better explain yourself!"

Wincing at Rose's change in tone, she passed the woman an uneasy look. She wanted to explain herself but not with Potter listening. Yes, she would have to admit that maybe she was taking things a bit too far but honestly, the prat completely deserved it. Had it not been for his idiocy, Rose wouldn't have been miserable for the weeks that led up to the second event. Yes, she had her own part to play for being cruel to the Ravenclaw as well but it had been because of Potter that she had taken that route. If Potter had waited even a moment longer to apologize to Rose, she might have died during the task from sheer distraction and being distraught.

"Okay, okay fine. Scorpius may have informed me that your cousin had treated you horribly prior to your second task. He wanted to get back at him without actually breaking his nose. So… he asked me to mess with him a bit," she admitted with a frown. Essentially, she was telling the truth.

Rose wasn't sure if she should be flattered that Scorpius cared so much or pissed that he had been an absolute idiot. Yes, she was still upset with her cousin for what he had put her through but she had been trying to put that behind her. The last thing she wanted was for Albus to become upset with her once more or, worse yet, treat Scorpius like his enemy again. All she wanted was for her family and the man she loved to get along. She didn't want to have to choose sides. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she sighed heavily.

Albus couldn't help but gape at the Slytherin as he realized that he had been duped. His first instinct was to rage and find Malfoy so that he could punch his lights out. As tempting as the thought was, he knew better. Honestly, he deserved some sort of punishment. Rose had been so desperate for them to be on speaking terms again that she immediately forgave him. Aside from having been cut off from his best friend and family, he had received hardly any backlash. Had Scorpius not come to him to end his stubbornness, he might have lost Rose entirely. Feeling foolish more than anything, he composed himself.

"Fine, whatever. You got me. Happy now? You can report back to your arse of a boss that you were successful. Can we call us even now?" he asked gruffly, trying to hide how hurt he actually was.

Seeing as how Sarah was a Slytherin, he thought for sure that if she was talking to him it wasn't because she wanted something of him due to his name. Yes, it had crossed his mind that she might be toying with him but considering that Rose and Malfoy were now dating, he had figured the prat might have told his housemates to behave around his girlfriend and family.

It was Sarah's turn to look surprised as Potter didn't respond in anger as she had been expecting him to. In fact, his response was rather mature considering. Feeling like a complete arse, she rubbed her arms uneasily as she nodded in regards to his question. Had the rouse continued, she had a feeling things would have swerved wildly out of hand. Better to nip it in the bud now and cut her losses.

"Yeah… I'll tell him. You two are even," she murmured.

"Boys…" Rose grumbled as she began walking down the hall. The day had honestly begun to give her a headache. Was it too much to ask that she spend a romantic day with her new boyfriend on Valentine's Day? No, instead her boyfriend was turned into a woman and flirting with her cousin as payback. Yes, that sounded like her luck indeed.

"W-Wait! Rose! What did the professor say!?" Sarah squeaked as she bolted after her girlfriend. She was desperately hoping that there was some good news and that she would be back to herself sooner rather than later.

"The professor said the effects will wear off in a few hours," she said simply, not wishing to divulge any more information and draw her cousin's attention. It was bad enough that he thought he was being toyed with by an associate of Scorpius. His reaction surely would not be nearly as calm had he discovered that it was in fact Scorpius himself. Sarah whine softly in response.

"There's no definitive time?" she complained.

"Hey, at least it's not permanent. Be happy with that," Rose declared irritably. It wasn't as though she was enjoying the situation much more than Sarah. Thankfully, Albus seemed to be in his own world but that also concerned her. She knew that he was hurting and she felt terrible. Unsure of what else she could do, Rose remained quiet and headed to class with the others.

xXx

Several hours later and Rose found herself in her old dorm room, chatting with Lily as they prepared for dinner. The younger woman had been going on and on excitedly about the amazing day she had with Alek. Apparently, the man had returned to his normal self and the two had gone on a date of sorts during one of the breaks. Rose was happy for the young Ravenclaw as she appeared to be much happier than she had been.

"So, do you have any idea what it is that Malfoy is planning for you?" Lily inquired as she finished brushing her hair out. Rose shook her head gently.

"No, I don't but at this point, I just want to see him. I miss him," she responded honestly. While she had technically seen "her" all day, it wasn't the same. Sarah was high strung and definitely not the same as Scorpius. She missed her boyfriend and wanted nothing more than to spend some time with him.

"Yeah, I heard that he was out today because he's planning something big. That has to be exciting at least," she continued, smiling at her older cousin. Rose shrugged a bit, wishing that were the case.

"Mh-hm… it does seem exciting. Hopefully he turns up soon," Rose declared vaguely. She hoped that Scorpius would turn back soon as multiple hours had passed already. Perhaps they could salvage some of the night once he did.

As soon as Lily was finished cleaning up for dinner, the duo headed into the common room. Rose was suddenly distracted by high pitched laughter which drew her attention to a small group of people on the far side of the room. Due to the fact that she had been staying in the Champion room since the tournament started, she had completely forgotten that the Beauxbatons students were sharing the Ravenclaw tower. The laughter had been from the two female Champions, Marie and Antoinette. What she had not been expecting was Julien to be at the center of the small group.

Rose had not seen Julien since their failed date and Scorpius and Albus' altercation with him. The man had practically avoided her like the plague. She supposed he was more comfortable in the common room now that she was in a separate room. It was no surprise, however, that the two Champions were all but clinging to him as it had been discovered that Antoinette fancied him severely. Judging by the friendly demeanor, it appeared that Julien had reciprocated her feelings once more. Annoyed by his appearance, Rose was ready to dismiss the group entirely until she overheard Scorpius' name.

"Zat Scorpius man haz successfully been changed. 'e is now a 'she'," he declared with an arrogant smirk, earning another giggle from Antoinette. Rose frowned deeply as she paid more attention to what was being said.

"Serves 'im right for attacking you. What about zee Potter boy?" Antoinette inquired, knowing that Julien disliked the other male as well. Julien scoffed irritably.

"'e did not eat zee chocolates but at least one of zem did. Zee Scorpius boy screamed at 'is transformation. It was quite amusing," he continued, chuckling to himself.

Rose saw red as she realized what had happened. As payback for Scorpius and Albus beating him up, Julien had poisoned their chocolates for this horrid prank. Thankfully, Albus had been smart and followed his same protocol that he did every year. Scorpius had not been so lucky and now he was paying for it. Her temper snapping at an alarming rate, she stormed over to the group and up to Julien.

"You bastard! This is your fault?! I should have never defended you!" she hissed as she yelled in his face. The git actually looked terrified which made her unreasonably happy. She wanted him to be terrified. Her anger shifted to the women, glaring hatefully at the two. "I should have let you two drown during the second task! Scorpius was right about you two!"

Marie turned her gaze away, looking ashamed as she recalled the event. Antoinette, however, did not and appeared smugger than before. Rose wasn't sure how much longer she was going to be able to contain herself.

"Your boyfriend got what 'e deserved. Now 'e will know not to mess with Beauxbatons," she declared arrogantly. Rose balled her hand into a fist and was incredibly tempted to strike the blonde witch. However, doing so would have looked like sabotage against another Champion.

"Yes, zee man is stupid to 'ave fallen for somezing so simple. Zis is why 'ogwarts will lose," Julien declared, earning yet another laugh from Antoinette. Deciding that she no longer cared, Rose spun on the prat and promptly punched him in the nose. Immediately, Julien began swearing in French while the two women began frantically screeching worriedly.

"Damn that felt good," Rose declared as she moved away from the trio and past Lily whom was standing with a shocked look on her face. It took the young woman a moment to gather herself and follow after her cousin.

"Um… hello? What the hell was that?" Lily gasped as she tried to figure out what had happened to her cousin. She very rarely resorted to physical violence. In fact, it was typically Malfoy who brought that anger out in her.

"It's a long story but essentially, those three have caused harm to my boyfriend and I won't stand for it," she explained. Instead of earning a long winded lecture from Lily, the woman laughed gently and nudged her.

"Damn, you go girl. Hope Malfoy knows what he's getting himself into," she teased, finally breaking Rose from her demeanor. Shaking her head, the older Ravenclaw couldn't help but laugh as well.

"If he doesn't, he's about to," Rose declared before the two headed down to the Great Hall for dinner. She was going to have to explain what happened to Scorpius and convince him not to take matters into his own hands. If they kept attacking one another, she was afraid it would be a never ending war between the schools. As it was, she was going to be lucky if they didn't report the attack. Though, she was sure that Julien didn't want to admit to being punched by a girl.

Just as they were about to reach the hall, Rose noticed that Sarah was standing outside of the entrance, seemingly waiting for something. Frowning, she told Lily to go on without her before she made her way over to the Slytherin.

"Everything alright?" she inquired, earning a huff from the other woman.

"I'm still a woman and this is seriously cutting into what I'm planning on doing for you for Valentine's Day," she complained before running her fingers through her blonde hair. "So no… I'm not alright but… I'm trying to be. I know it's not the same but… ditch dinner with me so I can spend time with you."

Rose couldn't help but smile at her words. A light blush had crept onto Sarah's cheeks and she was looking off as she waited for the red head to respond. She wasn't very good at this sort of thing and never really had to try at the whole romance thing. Women were more than willing to do her bidding and jump into bed with her. She never seriously dated anyone but Rose was specially. What she thought mattered the most to her.

"Okay, that sounds good. Hopefully, it won't be much longer that you are stuck this way," Rose said gently as she reached out to grasp the Slytherin's hand comfortingly. It had been a long and exhausting day for the both of them. "Where did you want to go?"

Sarah turned her gaze to her girlfriend, smiling at her gentle touch. Even trapped in a woman's body, she still craved Rose. She was everything soothing and calm that she needed in her life. Most women would have gone insane at the idea of their boyfriend turning into a woman and on Valentine's Day of all holidays. Instead, her girl was cool, calm, and collected. Honestly, she didn't deserve Rose but she was thankful, more than ever, that she had her. Sarah just hoped that the Ravenclaw enjoyed her simple yet meaningful gift.

"The kitchens," she answered simply. However, before either one of them could leave, Albus came running out of the hall, an excited look on his face.

"Did you seriously punch Julien?" he inquired with a joyous laugh. Rose couldn't help but roll her eyes as she realized that Lily had blabbed already. The woman had barely been inside the hall and must have told her brother immediately. Honestly, Rose didn't think it was that uncharacteristic of her.

"You did what?" Sarah asked with wide eyes. For a moment there was a twinge of jealousy at the idea of Rose having seen Julien. The git had been avoiding her much to her pleasure. She couldn't help but wonder if her girlfriend had sought the man out intentionally. Maybe she was truly upset that she wasn't spending the holiday with her "male" boyfriend.

"Uh… yeah… I did…" she began vaguely, unsure of how to explain her reasoning without giving away Scorpius' secret. Sarah opened her mouth to question Rose's motives when she groaned severely, gripping her stomach.

"Oh…" she moaned, doubling over. Rose and Albus exchanged concerned looks before the Ravenclaw realized what was happening. Scorpius had become sick right before the transformation started. Frantically, she began looking around for the nearest loo. If they didn't move quickly, Sarah was going to change back into Scorpius right there.

"Hey, are you okay?" Albus inquired, placing a hand on the Slytherin's shoulder.

A sharp gasp escaped the woman before she took a step back. Unable to move, Scorpius felt his body shifting and bubbling. Silently he cursed as he realized that he would not have time to leave before the transformation finished. Rose quickly moved and pushed Scorpius into a nearby alcove so that no one passing by would bear witness to what was happening.

Within moments, the Slytherin's skin began bubbling and shifting as Sarah shifted back into Scorpius. His shirt tore open immediately as his shoulders and chest broadened, revealing the bra he had been wearing which was now stretched over a flat chest. He heard his trousers split at the seams as his toned legs developed. Being a woman they had been much thinner and shapely with his transformed clothes having been tighter. He winced as the knickers he had been wearing suddenly restricted the part of his anatomy they were not designed for. All and all, it was a rather unpleasant sensation and he was absolutely mortified that anyone had to see it, let alone his girlfriend and Potter.

"What… the fuck just happened?!" Albus blurted as he finally shook himself out of his shocked state of being. His mouth hung wide open as he observed Sarah turn into Scorpius. Suddenly, everything that had happened throughout the day made more sense and he wasn't sure if wanted to punch the git until he bled all over the place or crawl into a hole and die. He was beyond embarrassed at his previous behaviors as he realized that he had essentially been crushing on Malfoy. Suddenly, he was the one who felt sick to his stomach.

Rose sighed heavily as her bad luck continued. As much as she wanted to giggle at the rather comical attire her boyfriend was adoring, far too much was going on for her to do so. She was worried about how Albus was going to react and it didn't appear that Scorpius was doing much better. Looking over at her cousin, she carefully began explaining.

"One of Scorpius' chocolates had been poisoned with a variation of Polyjuice. He was turned into a woman and to avoid embarrassment he continued his day as Sarah. You know the rest. I punched Julien because I found out that he was the one who poisoned the chocolate. Apparently, he had planned on doing the same to you but you had thrown them out," Rose explained, hoping her cousin wouldn't snap.

Scorpius withdrew his wand and began fixing his attire. He removed the offensive lingerie and sighed contently as he was no longer restricted. Commando was far more pleasing than what he had been wearing. With a few more gestures, he had managed to fix his clothing so that it fit him better but he left the shirt open. Upon hearing that Julien had been the one to poison him, he swore loudly.

"When I see that bastard I'm going to make sure he never wakes up again!" he growled angrily. Yet again, Rose sighed heavily as she placed her hands on the Slytherin's chest.

"I already took care of it. This has to stop somewhere. Please just leave it be," she begged before looking to Al whom had remained quiet for far too long. It was making her incredibly uneasy. "Al… please say something."

Albus looked back and forth between Rose and Malfoy, trying to make sense of what he was feeling. Sure, he was madder than hell at having been deceived and screwed with. However, he did recall Rose attempting to steer him away. She had done the best that she could and he understood why she kept it a secret. Had the same thing happened to him, he sure as hell wouldn't have wanted Malfoy to know. Apparently, it had almost happened to him. Running his fingers through his jet black hair, he exhaled deeply.

"We're even, remember?" he declared, offering the couple a wry smile. Scorpius narrowed his gaze suspiciously at the Gryffindor.

"He's taking this far too well. Are we sure this is really Potter?" he inquired, looking to his girlfriend for confirmation. Rose rolled her eyes at his words.

"Can't you just be thankful he isn't punching you?" she complained as she shook her head. Honestly, she would never understand the two men before them. One moment she thought she knew what would anger them and the next they were scarily calm.

"Maybe I'm just in shock… though I will forever have it seared into my brain the image of Malfoy wearing a bra. I don't know if I should laugh or be disturbed," Al said with a shudder, earning a slight giggle from Rose and a blanched look from Scorpius.

"How about we just pretend this never happened," Scorpius suggested, recalling not liking the idea that Potter had something he could hold over his head.

"Deal," Albus agreed quickly. "Now… I'm going to enjoy my dinner. You two should probably go do whatever it was you were gonna do." With that, the Gryffindor snuck back into the hall.

"Maybe he's finally growing up," Scorpius declared as he watched the man leave. Rose lightly smacked his chest.

"I'm just glad that I didn't have to punch you two as well. Did you still want to go to the kitchens?" she asked hopefully. Now that she had her boyfriend back, she wanted nothing more than to enjoy her night with him.

"Absolutely," he answered with a grin before he took her hand into his and tugged her along.

It was a short while later that the two were slipping into the kitchens unnoticed. Considering that it was dinner time in the Great Hall, there were house elves moving to and from, bustling about with various dishes. The little creatures seemed quite happy which Rose was thankful for. When her mum was her age, she had fought for their rights. Once she made her way into the ministry, she made her goals a reality. Honestly, her mum was so well accomplished that she felt a bit intimidated. Rose hoped that she would make her mum proud.

Scorpius led Rose through the kitchens, weaving between counters and dodging the elves. Prior to meeting her in front of the Great Hall, he had spent the hour beforehand setting up his gift to her. There was a small table for two on the far side of the kitchen adorned with a black table cloth and red tapered candles. The tabletop had pink rose petals strewn across the surface. A small, simple meal had been set up with two glasses of wine. Pausing in front of a chair, Scorpius found himself suddenly incredibly nervous as he offered the seat to Rose.

"Please sit, I hope you find this appealing," he said gently.

Rose gasped gently as she placed her hands over her mouth in awe. It was something so simple and yet so unbelievably sweet. She could scarcely believe that this had come from Scorpius Malfoy. Her heart fluttered in her chest as pure happiness filled her. This was far better than any expensive gift he could have provided her. Slowly, she sat down in the seat that was offered to her. After scooting her in, the Slytherin took his seat in front of her.

"You really did all of this for me?" she asked softly, taking in every detail before her. No one had ever done anything so thoughtful for her. At her continued praise, Scorpius' cheeks darkened further.

"Y-Yeah… just for you. I've never cooked for anyone before…" he admitted quietly as he watched Rose's emotions play out across her face. She seemed genuinely happy which filled him with a deep warmth. That was all that he wanted for her. He had been incredibly uneasy at the idea of cooking for her, seeing as how he had never done such a thing before in his life. Being a Malfoy, he never had to make his own food. However, he knew that Rose would appreciate a gift from the heart instead of something materialistic.

"You made this yourself?" she inquired, her eyes wide once more. To be honest, she didn't think that Scorpius even knew how to cook. She didn't think she could be any more honored. "I'm excited to try everything." Before her was a simple potato soup with steak and vegetables. It was a rather ambitious meal, despite being simple.

"I did… one way or another we were going to spend time together, even if I was a woman," he declared softly as he continued to watch her. His heart raced madly with his nervousness. What if she completely hated everything? He hadn't even bothered to ask her if this was something she enjoyed. She didn't seem picky when it came to food but honestly, he wasn't overly observant of what she ate at mealtimes. Now he was doubting himself and hating that he was losing confidence.

"Thank you so much, Scorpius. This means the world to me. I can't wait to try everything," Rose said sincerely before picking up her silverware. Delicately she dipped her spoon into the soup before bringing it to her lips. It was slightly unnerving to have him watching her but she knew that he was waiting for her response. The moment the liquid touched her tongue so found it to be… awful. It was nearly impossible to hide her grimace but she did her best. He had over seasoned the soup and she found it to be incredibly salty.

Slowly, as to not seem in a hurry, she took a sip of her wine to wash down the taste. Okay, perhaps the rest of the food wasn't nearly as bad. Scorpius had admitted that he had never cooked before so there was bound to be mistakes. The Slytherin found himself feeling far too anxious to continue watching. He hoped that she would say something soon. Slowly he began cutting into his steak at the same time that Rose did. The Ravenclaw found herself becoming uneasy as it took quite the effort to cut through the meat, indicating that it had been overcooked. Bravely taking a bit, she also discovered that the underside had been seared to the point of being charred. Coughing slightly, she took a larger sip of her wine as she choked down the food. Having gone this far already, she warily bit into her vegetables but was relieved to find that they were fine albeit bland. Once she had sampled all of her food, she finally turned her gaze to Scorpius before speaking.

"Scorpius this is-"

"Rubbish," the Slytherin finished as he blanched at the taste of his own food. Merlin it was beyond god awful and disgusting. His cheeks were stained a bright crimson as absolute embarrassment assailed him. What the hell had he been thinking? Why would he decide to try his first attempt at cooking for something so important? He couldn't believe that Rose had managed to eat as much as she had without so much as making a face.

"No… it's not that bad…" Rose countered quickly, not wanting him to feel bad for something he worked so hard on. Sighing heavily, Scorpius shook his head before burying his face in his hands.

"I'm so sorry Rose, I truly suck at this. I wanted to give you something special for Valentine's Day but honestly, I had nothing. I didn't even think you would be interested at all which was stupid of me because you are still a woman. Please forgive me," he begged, his voice slightly muffled as he hid.

Rose's heart swelled with love for the man before her, despite feeling guilty that he felt so stressed on making sure her holiday was perfect. Gently, she reached across the table to lower his hands, keeping one of them in her own, and squeezing gently.

"Yes, the food is terrible, but that doesn't matter to me. What matters is that you tried to give me something from your heart. I know that must not have been easy for you but it means everything to me. Thank you. Please, don't be upset. After the sort of day that we have both had, I have discovered that all I want, above any gift in the world, is just to spend time with you. I missed you terribly," she explained sweetly before pulling him forward enough so that she could press a kiss to his lips.

Scorpius sighed against her lips as he indulged in her kiss. Rose tasted far better than his crappy food. Her words were comforting and despite his failed attempt, he did feel much better. Truly, he didn't deserve her but he would like to see someone try to take her from him. Slowly, he broke from the kiss and offered her a smile.

"Alright, how about we get some real, edible food?" he asked, earning a giggle from the red head. A few moments later and the couple were indulging in delicious food prepared by the elves. Their appetites were fully satiated some time later.

"I did have something I wanted to give you," Rose declared as she dabbed at her mouth with a napkin, having finished her meal. Scorpius arched a brow at her declaration.

"You did? Really Rose, you didn't have to. Especially because your boyfriend is an arse whom can't seem to conduct surprises for his girlfriend," he stated with a slight frown. Rose swatted at the air in front of him, indicating for him to shut up.

"Oh quiet you. It's nothing much but you deserve something nice from me on this holiday too," she explained as she retrieved her school bag and dug around for a small box. Procuring said item, she handed ring sized black box over to the Slytherin.

Scorpius couldn't help but beam at Rose's never ending thoughtfulness. As a Malfoy, he could have everything and anything he wanted. None of that mattered however. Materialistic items that he could purchase himself held no real significance. Knowing that his Weasley had picked out his gift with care mattered more than he could express. Even if it were nothing but rocks he would still be happy. He would be confused as hell but happy. Carefully opening the box, his smile softened at the gift within. There were two silver cufflinks in the design of serpents with emerald eyes. It was incredibly simple but wonderful.

"Thank you, Rose, truly. These are spectacular," he declared before leaning over to kiss her lovingly and adoringly. Rose flushed gently, thrilled at his response before returning his kiss sweetly. Gently she cupped his cheek as she indulged in his taste for a moment.

"Mh… I'm glad you like them. It's not much but they seem rather fitting of you," she explained as she pulled back from the kiss. Carefully, Scorpius tucked the box away in his pocket. A wide grin fell into place on his face.

"Alright, I may be absolutely shit at surprises for you but I do have something that should make up for it," he declared as he also grabbed his bag. From within, he pulled out a large rectangular object wrapped in brown craft paper. "It's from my personal library. I doubt you have ever read this as there are only two copies in existence." Scorpius handed her the package, adoring the curious and excited look on her face. Leave it to his woman to become overly giddy over a book.

"Really?!" she gasped happily as she gingerly took the book and delicately began unwrapping it.

It was a beautiful leather bound book with gold lettering. After reading the title, another gasp fell from her lips as she recalled just how incredibly rare the book was. It was a Potions book that had very obscure and rare techniques, potion recipes, and ingredient locations. She had read about the book in other books but had never thought she would ever lay her hands on it. "Oh sweet Merlin! Scorpius, are you sure I can have this?!" It would be a cruel joke if he took it from her but if she could read it first she would live with it. Chuckling softly, the Slytherin nodded.

"Of course you can have it. I told you it was a gift. I've already read it and I know you will find more enjoyment out of it than I. I enjoy Potions and I'm rather good at them but I lack the same sort of passion that you possess," he explained, leaning his chin on his hand as he watched her. A gorgeous flush had graced her features and her cerulean eyes were all the brighter with her joy. Salazar, how had he not realized just how beautiful she was before? His stubbornness and pride had made him blind.

Tears formed in Rose's eyes as she continued to lovingly caress the book. Just as carefully as before, she began leafing through the pages, astounded the information that she was skimming through. Not only was it an incredibly practical gift but it came from Scorpius' own collection as well as his heart. He truly understood her love and devotion to books and Potions. She didn't think it was possible to love him any more than she did.

"I love you, Scorpius," she choked out, her gaze meeting his as a few tears escaped her. Prepared for her emotional response this time, the blonde continued to smile as he reached out to wipe her cheeks.

"And I love you. Hopefully this wasn't too terrible of a holiday."

"No… it was the absolute best. Thank you for spending it with me," Rose declared sincerely before this time she leaned into steal a kiss from him. Hers was more passionate as she desperately tried to convey her adoration for the man before her. Groaning softly, Scorpius returned her vigor, wishing that they were alone in their room instead of in the kitchen surrounded by elves.

"Mh… what say you to continuing this somewhere else more comfortable?" Scorpius inquired, a teasing light in his eyes. Rose giggled softly but nodded.

"Yes, I think I'm ready to turn in," she said before standing up, carefully cradling her new book to her chest. She was afraid to put it down for fear of something happening to it. Scorpius shook his head lightly as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Now don't go forgetting about me because of that thing," he teased, though half serious. It was no secret how lost in books and research his Rose could get.

"I promise I won't but please forgive me if I do lose track of time," she declared with a bright smile as the two of them snuck back out of the kitchens.

Despite how insane the day had been, Rose was more than thrilled at the outcome. Nothing could destroy her mood or so she thought. Before they had been able to reach their room, the headmaster was heading their way at a brisk pace. Something seemed to be wrong as the man had a furrowed look on his face. Suddenly, her heart began racing. She wasn't sure what it was but she knew that it was terrible.

"Headmaster," Rose greeted. She had stopped herself from using his actual name. A name that, apparently, only she could recall. Somehow she would have to make Scorpius remember so that he could help her further investigate. The headmaster was an enigma and she seriously doubted he would answer any of her questions directly.

Scorpius huffed irritably as the headmaster stopped them. The last thing he wanted to do was speak to the man when he had far more interesting things on his mind that involved a certain red head at his side. They had been so close to their private freedom that it was maddening. It wasn't after curfew yet so he knew that they couldn't have truly been in trouble. They weren't even going to conduct their rounds that night. The professors typically handled that when it was a holiday.

"Miss Weasley… I'm sorry to bother you so late and on such a day but I need you to come with me," he commanded gently, earning a confused look from the young woman.

"Sir? Is something wrong?" she asked worriedly, her heart racing heavier in her chest. The headmaster's gaze darted to Scorpius for a moment before returning to her.

"I would rather not speak of it here. Please follow me to my office," he continued. Scorpius found himself becoming rather annoyed as he realized that he had not been offered to come and the headmaster seemed to not trust him.

"May Scorpius come with me, please? I have a feeling whatever you are going to tell me, I'm going to need his support," she said honestly as she looked to her boyfriend. The Slytherin smirked at the headmaster as Rose fought for his right to be there. Instead of looking put out as he had been expecting, the man actually smiled warmly.

"Yes, of course. He will be needed indeed," he said vaguely before turning on his heel and heading towards his office. Rose didn't like how sinister that simple sentence sounded. Passing Scorpius a final look, she hurried after their headmaster.

After what seemed like an eternity, Rose found herself in the headmaster's office, feeling more anxious and worried than before. She had taken Scorpius' hand into her own and was gripping it tightly. In her other hand, was still her book. More concerned about what the headmaster had to say, she didn't think to drop if off in her room first. The duo stood in front of the headmaster's desk as the man leaned against it, his arms crossed over his chest. For a moment, nothing but silence filled the room.

"Well?" Scorpius asked impatiently, not liking how uneasy he was beginning to feel. If the bastard was just screwing with them he was going to be beyond pissed.

"There is no easy way to say this… Miss Weasley, it has to do with your brother, Hugo," the headmaster began. Rose felt her heart drop into her stomach at the mentioning of her brother. As far as she had been made aware, there was no update. Neither her parents nor Professor Longbottom had said anything to her. Judging from the headmaster's behavior, it wasn't good news.

"Hugo? What's wrong? Is he alright?" she asked hurriedly, needing to know that her brother was alright. If anything happened to him… no she couldn't think that way. He had to be alright. It would tear her family apart otherwise.

"I'm afraid not…. your brother… is dying…"


End file.
